One Thousand Hands
by DirtyFeet
Summary: He didn't care about being alone. He came and went as he pleased, for the only path he could control was his own. Life was inconstant, but no matter how everything and everyone else changed, he knew there would always be a path to bring him back to her. KK x OC.
1. One Thousand Hands

**1\. One Thousand Hands**

Despite its name, rain was a natural part of the Land of Fire, particularly in the hidden shinobi village, Konohagakure. For the trees of which the village was named to grow so full and lush, rain was an inconvenience the people of Konohagakure endured, no matter how hard or angrily it fell. On this dark night, it fell loudly without relief. The village leader, the Hokage, listened as the shinobi in the halls had to yell to speak over the drumming rain.

The rooftops of the village were an array of bright colors, now deepened to dark stones beneath the darkness of night. Very few lights remained flickering in the early morning hours. His eyes lingered on the glowing complex in the distance, wondering just what was occurring there now.

Tomorrow, he would have to invite the clan heads, including the Uchiha in the glowing distant complex, to discuss what exactly was to happen now. The Uchiha would have to offer something - or someone - to appease the village. A crime had been committed, and the village would not withhold punishment.

The Senju clan - the clan of the First and Second Hokage - was gonen completely eradicated. All that remained were three cold bodies in the village morgue.

The Hokage sighed as he moved away from the window to sit back down at his desk. There was a knock at the door just as he felt the cushion of his chair.

"Come in."

"Sir, we have the crime scene secure," announced a young man as he entered the office.

"What a mess," sighed the Hokage. "Where is the girl?"

"In the questioning room. Would you like to see her?" asked the jonin.

"Yes, please bring her here. And have someone bring us some tea."

The jonin bowed out, leaving the Hokage alone once again. He removed his hat and ran his hands over his face tiredly. His bones ached. He was getting too old.

"What a mess," he muttered to himself again.

Looking at the papers on his desk, he realized he had already been behind with his work, and now with this disaster, he would not be sleeping for the next week. He picked up a folder from his desk and opened it. Inside were four papers. Each had a photo of a person on it. They all shared the name "Senju."

It was a family - a father, mother, daughter, and son. Each had black hair, dark as the night. The little girl and boy's gazes were sharp. Their eyes were an alarming shade of deep red - something he hadn't seen in many, many years. The Hokage traced over the photo of the girl for a moment before looking back at the other three.

The boy was only four. Though he did not smile in the photo, there was an underlying sweetness to his expression that seemed innate, despite the severity of his eyes. The mother and father's files showed impressive benchmarks for shinobi - early academy graduations, early chuunin promotions, many successful S-, A-, and B-rank missions…

He sighed again. They had truly lost two valuable shinobi tonight, not even counting those who would have to die to pay for their crimes.

There was a knock at the door. The Hokage straightened himself out and looked up.

"Come in."

The door creaked open. The jonin from before had returned, but with him was now a tray of tea and a little girl no older than seven. Her hair was black and short. Her eyes were that deep shade of red. The Hokage shivered slightly as she looked up to look him hard in the eye. He thought of his old teacher's red gaze.

But it was not just the irises of her eyes that were red. Her face was red, blotchy, and the traces of heavy tears still marked her face. Her mouth was pulled tight with grief, nose red, and eyes nearly swollen shut. She locked eyes with the Hokage in a way that made the old man think she would either set the building on fire or drown them all with tears. And though he could not see it, the crevices of her hands were also so caked with red, she could not remove it even if she tried.

"Senju-kun, please come in. Have a seat," said the Hokage softly. He gestured to the lone chair before his desk. She eyed it suspiciously and then glared harshly up at him. He smiled gently. "It's okay. I'm sure you're exhausted. Would you like some water? Tea?"

She shook her head and then marched straight towards the chair as the jonin set the steaming tea on the Hokage's desk. She climbed into it loudly and then glared back up at him again, hands fisted into the gray, sterile clothes they had given her. He wondered just how blood-soaked her own clothes were now. He sighed inwardly as the jonin moved back towards the door and bowed out silently.

So young. What a burden she'd been given.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Senju-kun," he said.

The little girl's lips trembled, and in her gaze, he saw every shade of grief and fury he could imagine. Her face twisted and stretched, and he wondered if she might explode at any moment.

But instead of scream or snap back, her eyes began to well up with tears again. Her mouth stretched wide, teeth bared, and her head bowed. He heard the soft sound of sniffles, and then sharp breath. A muffled sob broke free, and then a whimper, which broke and spread like flooding water.

The little girl let her mouth stretch open, and then a heartrending wail sang through the room. It fluttered and shattered through the windows and doors and could be heard from the floor below. The guards at the door - shinobi trained for their stoicism - twitched with discomfort at the sound. The Senju child released her grief into the dark night, crying and screaming. She called for her mother and her father and the little boy whose faces now remained aware only in the photos on the Hokage's desk. Her cries blended and contorted until even she did not know why she cried.

The Hokage's throat tightened, and his eyes burned as he watched the small girl grieve for her family. He thought of his own son - a jonin already - and wondered just how he had been lucky enough to never force his child to endure such misery when both Hokage before him and the Hokage after him had died and left their children behind.

Finally, her cries softened.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," he repeated quietly. "And I understand there's nothing I can say to alleviate your pain. But we've brought you here because we want to make sure you are kept safe. The people who did this will be captured and punished, and they won't be able to get to you. I promise you are safe here."

"What about my family?" she asked abruptly. Her eyes were wide and piercing. The Hokage suppressed a shiver.

"Their bodies are being taken care of and protected."

"Where?"

"Somewhere safe. Someone will take you to see them tomorrow," said the Hokage.

"I want to see them now!" she demanded furiously. Her lips then trembled, as the grief began to burst through her anger. Her tears began to flow again steadily. She did not wipe them away. "Please!" she begged. "I want to see…" She hiccoughed. "I want to see my… okaa-san."

Her words died into soft sobs again as the weight of her loss finally settled into her limbs and heart. She bowed her head and let the tears trickle into her lap and clenched fists.

"But why did this happen?" she sobbed. The tears now soaked her sterile clothes, but they only seemed to magnify the anger in the girl's heart. "Why didn't you protect them? How could you let this happen?"

Children of shinobi often grew into adults a startling pace - much too fast - and in an instant, the Hokage knew that this girl had also become a victim to the sad cycle. The Hokage' stomach clenched as he stood from his desk. Senju jumped as he moved around the desk towards her, recoiling into her seat further like a cat. As she pulled back, he looked her in the eye and then dropped to his knees.

"Hokage-sama!" blurted one of the guards, but the Hokage put up a steady hand. The room quieted again as he removed the large hat from his head. He sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. The night air was cool against his scalp. He looked the girl in the face again from the floor. Her eyes were wide, afraid.

"Senju-san, I, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, apologize for your loss," he said firmly. He then put his hands down and lowered his forehead deeply until it touched the floor between his hands. He remained low as he continued, "And I apologize on the behalf of Konohagakure, for this deep failure. I know there is no way to compensate you for the loss of your family, but I swear that this village will do all that it takes to protect you."

He sat back up slowly again to look her in the eye, still kneeling, to see her crying again, eyes ablaze. Though her gaze felt as if he could burn beneath it, he did not waver.

"And as the student of Senju Tobirama, I apologize for not protecting his descendants, but the Will of Fire remains strong. On my life, I swear this to be true," he said softly. His own eyes burned with tears.

He bowed low again, and when he sat up once more, her eyes were still wet, but she did not cry. Her lips were pulled tight and wide, and he imagined the face of her great-grandfather Hashirama.

He stood up slowly, his joints aching with every movement. He really was getting old. Once standing straight, he looked at the men at the door, both of whom looked deeply moved. The one who had brought the girl had his mouth pulled tight, as if to prevent himself from also crying.

"Please contact my wife and ask her to arrange something within our own private quarters for Senju-san. She will stay with us until we are able to arrange better accommodations to her liking," said the Hokage. He looked at her carefully to see if this was okay with her, but her head was bowed and shaking again. He took a deep breath to steady himself and put a hand to her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Dawn on Konohagakure was gray and blinding. As news of the remaining Senju clan's slaughter fell upon the village, a deep wave of sorrow settled over the Land of Fire. The next day, three men from the Uchiha clan were given up by their own and arrested for the murders of the Senju family. Within another three days, they had been sentenced and convicted. One month later, they were hanged before the entire village as reparation for their crimes.

 _So tragic_ , the villagers whispered. The two clans who acted as the foundation for Konohagakure would never find peace with each other. It seemed the Uchiha's Curse of Hatred had finally defeated the Senju.

In between those dark days, a funeral was held for the last of the Senju with all of Konoha in attendance. In the front standing beside the Hokage was a young girl no older than seven with newly cut black hair and eyes redder than the setting sun. She did not shed any tears.

A few rows back stood a silver-haired boy, age 14. He did not pay the funeral much mind, and he would not remember much of it even later that evening. Years from then, he would look back and regret his lack of respect.

The same girl became a regular fixture in the Hokage's household after that. The staff was told she was a distant relative who had been orphaned and taken in by her generous great-granduncle. They told themselves that her sad past explained the perpetual anger in her young face and did their best to forgive her for her harshness. She was just a child, after all.

For many weeks, she did not speak, and for months after that, she did not look upon anyone with anything more than disdain. She cut her black hair short with blades meant for killing. She slept with another blade beneath her pillow.

Through it all, the Hokage remained patient. He showed her how to aim her blades, how to move through her hand signs so that her anger could be redirected for a purpose. The servants whispered that it was appropriate, for she had already become as hard as the stones into which the Hokage of the past had been carved. She could become a warrior - someone to protect her village.

The last daughter of the Senju was alone with only blades and memories to remind her of the clan she had lost. Even her name was no longer hers to keep. The Will of Fire had continued to uphold the village. She wondered if her family had held it a bit too close, for they had been allowed to burn away for it.


	2. Scarecrow in the Fields

**2\. Scarecrow in the Fields**

As a child, Hatake Kakashi had always wondered why his father gave him his name. It was a little haunting, a little harsh, but as he aged, he began to understand. Still, he resented it just a bit.

A scarecrow - that's what Kakashi was. Even as young as he was, Kakashi knew he had no chance in life to be anything but that. He was destined to forever stand in the fields, keeping watch but unable to take the steps to change his fate or that of the people around him. He would stand until someone decided his time was done and then quietly remove him and replace him with another.

He wondered just how much his future had been preordained by such a morose name.

In Kakashi's 18 years, he had experienced what felt like many lives. At age five, he lost his father. At age 12, he fought in a war. At age 13, he lost his teacher. At age 14, he killed his best friends. Now, he was already an old man.

He winced, favoring his left shoulder. The bandage he'd wound around it was beginning to stink, already caked with dried blood. He supposed the good side to his dangerous job was that he probably wouldn't live to even be 30.

As Kakashi approached his hometown of Konohagakure, he wondered if most shinobi returned from missions with home in their hearts. Even as the colorful rooftops glittered in the sun and the happy sounds of the markets became clearer, he could not find the pride he knew he ought to have for his village. What was it that made a place special? Was it the food, the culture? Maybe it was the people. He couldn't be sure, as he didn't know anyone anywhere enough to differentiate between categories.

The walls of the village began to appear, and Kakashi rubbed at the tattoo on his left shoulder absentmindedly. He always felt like it ached a bit when he entered the village, even after he'd returned his ANBU mask to the Hokage several months before. He wondered if anyone had ever had theirs removed. Would it be a dishonor for him to remove the symbol of his past misdeeds?

"Kakashi," greeted one of the jonin guarding the gates.

"Yo," said Kakashi back. He wished he could remember either man's name.

"Jeez, you look rough," marveled the other, looking at Kakashi's bleeding arm. "Do you need some help?"

"I'm okay. It looks worse than it is. I'm going to report to Hokage-sama then go home," said Kakashi, not bothering to stop.

"Hey, you should really get that checked out!" called the jonin. "Kakashi, that's really gross!"

Kakashi waved back nonchalantly as he continued on. He didn't have the energy to deal with someone fretting over his injuries.

 _Kamizuki_ \- that's what that indignant one's name was. He felt mildly guilty about not remembering the other one's still.

Evening was always a busy time in Konoha. Kakashi mourned this silently as he moved through the night markets. He had to push his way steadily through the crowds, but luckily, the area was so dense that no one noticed his bleeding shoulder. He mused over the truth of anonymity in a crowd.

Pushing and dodging people, Kakashi gave a great sigh as he finally stepped into a quiet alleyway. The haze of the crowds still hovered around his periphery, but he had a moment to breathe in the bit of space he had managed to find. His aching joints reminded him he still needed to report to the Hokage.

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi groaned inwardly at his inability to stay unnoticed and turned to see a large form waving at him. He sighed inwardly but allowed the other jonin to approach. The grin on his face fell away at the sight of Kakashi's injuries.

"Damn, man, what the hell happened to you?" asked Sarutobi Asuma.

"I just got back from a mission," said Kakashi dully.

"Shouldn't you go to the hospital?" asked Asuma incredulously.

"I'm fine. It looks worse than it is," he said for the second time. Asuma didn't look convinced, but he knew better than to push it with Kakashi.

An odd sensation filled Kakashi's chest whenever he saw old classmates. It was a sort of dull ache, something that built in his stomach and trickled up. It wasn't sadness, only a sort of regret that he wasn't capable of being sad. He felt it particularly whenever he saw Asuma, for he was the sort of good, well-humored man that people should have in their lives.

Kakashi looked over the taller man. He had always been big - big framed, big voice, big presence. Even though he wasn't the most talkative of men, it was hard not to notice him. In addition, he was the son of the Third Hokage, making it nearly impossible to forget him. Kakashi wondered how he didn't get tired from all of the attention.

"You're teaching a genin team now, aren't you?" he asked, determined to direct the conversation away from his appearance. "How is that going?"

To his surprise, the smile on Asuma's face tightened. Kakashi raised a brow.

"That bad?" he asked.

"Is it that obvious?" laughed Asuma. "I shouldn't complain. It's not as bad as it could be."

"What's wrong? Tough student?"

"Tough attitude," said Asuma thoughtfully.

"Mm," hummed Kakashi. Genin with bad attitudes were the reason he did not want to teach his own team.

"Sorry, I'm making it sound like it's awful. It's been a great experience so far," said Asuma with a sheepish grin.

"The talented ones can be the most difficult. They think they know everything already." He should know. He was one of those talented, arrogant ones after all.

"Well, it's not so much of that," said Asuma awkwardly. Kakashi looked at him curiously. "I don't know what it is exactly; probably anxiety."

"Is he a nervous kid?"

"Yeah… like a dog," said Asuma with a wry smile. "Like a dog who's scared so she lashes out first before she gets attacked."

"That sounds like a bad trait for a shinobi," said Kakashi.

"Yeah, well, I can't really blame her," said Asuma sheepishly.

"What's that mean?"

"It's complicated," said Asuma vaguely. "Well, I've got to go meet Kurenai, so I'll see you around."

"Are you two dating yet?"

"Ha! Haven't cracked her yet, but I'm making progress," laughed Asuma. "See you, man."

He waved and the man took off for the rooftops. Kakashi continued walking on the street towards the Hokage's offices.

"Genin, huh?" he murmured to himself. He hadn't interacted with genin in many years. Even when he had been a genin himself, the only peers he'd spoken to were Rin and Obito. His stomach clenched, and he pushed the thoughts away. What a stupid time to be thinking of them.

As he walked through the crowds, the sun began to lower and lower until it hovered just over the horizon, glowing red and pulling the shadows out from beneath the buildings. As he stepped into the administration building, a young girl, probably no older than twelve, stepped out. Kakashi cast her a glance as they passed each other, and his throat tightened slightly to see that she was already staring at him. He couldn't tell if the red of her eyes was an illusion from the fiery sun.

The door closed behind them with her on the other side. Kakashi paused for a moment to wonder just what a girl of that age would be doing in this building. Perhaps she was a chuunin or genin reporting back from a mission of her own. Still, it was unusual to see just one without a team or even a leader.

There was the thought of genin again. His bones suddenly ached. Perhaps it was a sign that it was time for him to take on his own genin team as well. Maybe he'd bring it up with the Hokage when he briefed him on his mission. Leading a genin team was probably one of most irresponsible things he could do, but he didn't exactly have anything to lose anymore. He'd at least get a break from A- and S- Class missions for a while.

He took a step towards the stairs. The red walls reminded him of the young girl with the sun in her eyes.


	3. Middle Ninja

**3\. Middle Ninja**

Kakashi sighed as he pushed past another group of tourists. Summer in Konoha was already a busy time of year, but with the Chuunin Exams, the village might as well be a resort town. Not only did shinobi of other villages come to guard and support their representatives, citizens and leaders of other towns and countries flocked there to see which hidden village would rise to be the strongest in the coming years. He did not know why any non-shinobi bothered - the strongest had been and always would be Konohagakure. The last Shinobi War had surely solidified that.

What were usually quiet streets were now filled with food stalls and merchants shouting out their wares. The scents of various foods mingled and wafted through the village over the loud sounds of celebration. Salty, sweet, spicy - Kakashi was tempted to stop and sample each stand's offerings but reminded himself firmly that he was not going to meet just anyone - he was going to meet the Hokage. He could not afford to be late today.

It was not unusual for Kakashi to interact with Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, but this was not the weekly briefing in the Hokage's office. Kakashi had been invited to join the Hokage in his own private box at the arena to watch the final rounds of the Chuunin Exams. Only the most trusted of shinobi were ever invited to watch the exam with the leader of the village. The privilege was enough to make Kakashi pick up his pace.

Of course, he knew it was not just to watch the matches. The Hokage was a warm man, but he did not make frivolous gestures. Kakashi mentally prepared himself for a heavy mission. Perhaps there was a spy among the other villages' shinobi. Perhaps there had been evidence of foul play in the exams. His mind raced towards any possibility as he approached the dingy building in which the final matches were held. He let out a great sigh as he stepped in.

Something about the Chuunin Exams was depressing. The first test was conducted in a dimly lit, gray room. The second was in the dark forest. This one - the third and last - was held in the darkest, dingiest of arenas in Konoha, and it had only gotten worse over the years. He recalled Rin and Obito cheering his name as he'd fought. The memory only made the hall a little darker.

Finally, he reached the private room reserved for the Hokage. Two jonin stood outside, saluting him as he approached.

"Kakashi," one greeted.

"Hokage-sama summoned me."

"Yup, we know. Go right in," said the other.

Kakashi gave a tilt of his head in thanks as one cracked the door open for him to slip inside. The light of the arena illuminated the small space just slightly, but the shadows allowed the Hokage to watch the matches without notice. Kakashi appreciated that about the Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama, you called for me?"

"Ah, Kakashi-kun, good timing. Come, have a seat," said the Hokage happily. Kakashi felt a little uncomfortable sitting so close to anyone, but he made an exception for the Hokage, sitting quietly as two genin entered the ring.

One was nearly twice the size as the other - bulky and heavy set, he wore a haughty expression as he looked over the smaller genin. Kakashi lost interest in the larger boy almost immediately and squinted to get a better look at the other. Upon closer look, he realized the genin was a girl. Her black hair was cut short and sloppily, as if she'd done it herself without a mirror. Her shirt was baggy and shapeless, a couple of wooden sticks mysteriously strapped to her back. He wondered how they were used.

She then looked up, as if feeling his gaze. He shivered at the sight of her narrow glare. Her eyes were deep red.

"I want you to watch this match and tell me what you think," said the Hokage. A trace of nervousness lingered in his voice, piquing Kakashi's interest. He turned back to watch the match begin.

Up on the wall, the contenders' images glowed: _Saitou Ichiro versus Arata Aki_. Kakashi's eye slid over their names, memorizing them quickly. He didn't recognize either - a match between two children of inconsequential clans. It was curious that the Hokage was so anxious about it. He lingered a bit over the girl's: _Team 10, Captain: Sarutobi Asuma_. Kakashi remembered Asuma mentioning something about his team but couldn't quite recall what it had been.

The two genin made the Seal of Confrontation, eyes never leaving the other. He thought back to the other matches he'd seen and wondered if he had ever seen two genin look at each other with so much malice.

" _Begin!"_

The boy immediately flipped back, leaping into the air to throw shuriken her way. Her arms swept through the air, picking up dirt like a swirling pool of water, which caught the shuriken easily. She continued to swirl the soil, taking the shuriken in, and then clasped her hands into a sign - Boar. The wave crashed forward. There was a gasp from those watching as the boy called Saitou was hit with the soil. There was then a pop, and his body disappeared into a log. She snarled and looked around quickly.

Saitou then appeared behind her. She spun too slow, as his foot swung out and sent her flying across the ring. Kakashi's heart stilled for a moment as he saw her body hit the ground on the other side.

" _Good one, Icchan!"_ shouted one of the girls watching. He grinned and waved at her and their friends until he saw the girl called Arata Aki rise to her feet, eyes narrowed furiously. She didn't wait for the cheering to stop. She came flying back at him, kunai drawn. With a couple of clean throws, he was pinned against the back wall and cut on the arm. Though he freed himself quickly, the girl was able to land a few hard hits to his face and stomach. Grunting with pain, he finally blocked and flipped away from her, putting space between them.

He threw another series of shuriken, but she dodged just enough to avoid serious injury. Her eyes didn't leave his face, hands flying through a series of signs and then slamming into the ground. Kakashi's breath caught as she immediately leapt forward to attack him once more.

There were gasps and shouts of surprise from around the arena as she hit him cleanly in the face. Kakashi stood without thinking. He was not impressed by her taijutsu but by the subtle shift at the ground by the boy's feet. He almost missed it - a small wooden root piercing the soil to grab him by the ankle. Looking around, no one else seemed to have noticed. All were enthralled by the clashing of limbs. He let out a breath of relief.

Wood Release - he had never seen it done. A few shinobi from Konoha had managed to perform a few basic jutsu, but no one since the First Hokage had been known to perform a technique like this. He watched her carefully, understanding why the Third Hokage brought him here.

And yet, she was the most unnotable child he'd seen in a long time. With her baggy clothes and short hair, he really did consider if she were just a boy with a delicate face. She slammed the bigger child down into the ground before leaping back again. He wondered why she did not finish the boy off while he was down, her arms held at her sides rigidly.

"She's holding back," he said aloud. The Hokage nodded.

"She is." Kakashi wondered why he said it with such pride.

Before the jonin acting as referee could begin to count, there was a blast of smoke as the wall behind her was hit, and the boy came shooting out from the rubble. There was an audible gasp from the crowd as he slammed his fist into her stomach, taking them both shooting into the opposite wall. Kakashi watched as he began to choke her.

And then he saw the boy's lips move - smiling. He didn't know if anyone else could see him speak to the girl or if it were his Sharingan that allowed him to see, but Saitou was clearly saying something to the girl in his grasp. Her face was red, sputtering, furious. The jonin began to count down.

He barely made it to "three" when Arata released her hold on Saitou's arms and pushed against him to get her legs between them. She then kicked hard with enough chakra to jump the height of a building. He went flying backwards, and this time, she did not wait for his next counterattack.

Her rage was so dense that Kakashi imagined it took on its own color. There was a flash of chakra as Arata came hurdling across the room, landing one last hit into the boy's stomach before he hit the ground. There were frightened shouts from the same genin who had been cheering for him before.

" _I'll kill you!_ " screamed Arata. Her voice was red, searing. She girl leapt onto the boy's chest, slamming her feet into his ribs. Even the Hokage winced as his bones seemed to crack. Forgetting jutsu or even the exam, her fists flew up into the air and then slammed into his face. A resounding gasp could be heard through the crowd.

There were no more explosions of blades and soil or flashes of chakra in her attacks, only the dull slap of her fists against his skin. She landed at least four powerful punches into the boy's face before the jonin began running into the ring. Exam proctors were suddenly surrounding the girl, and a whistle sounded. Over their shouts to stop, Kakashi could still hear the girl screaming.

" _Where are your stupid mom and dad now, huh? You think they're going to save you?"_ she shrieked. One of the jonin pulled back with her locked in his arms, but she continued to flail wildly. Her fists were still clenched and ready to continue her assault on the boy.

However, he hardly looked like he could hear her. Blood pooled around his limp form, eyes half-cracked open. The two jonin crouched beside him frantically checked over him. Kakashi cringed. He could hardly recognize him through the blood and broken teeth.

Kakashi listened to the girl's screams as the proctors pulled her away, and in the echoes of her anger, the rest of the arena was silent. He pondered her words and wondered what exactly the boy could have said to have triggered so much rage.

"Who was that girl?" asked Kakashi finally. The Hokage sighed.

"Aki. She's the one I wanted you to see," he said, "though I was worried something like this would happen." Kakashi arched a brow.

"She's dangerous," he commented. The Hokage nodded.

"I know, but I haven't the heart to reprimand her."

"Why?"

The Hokage didn't answer. He simply stared down at the boy called Ichiro down below. He looked to be barely conscious, face still bleeding and head rolling. Kakashi wondered how a genin could already be so strong to do so much damage to a boy twice her size.

"Do you remember the Senju? Were you old enough to know them?" asked the Hokage.

"I know their significance but never met any," said Kakashi.

"Do you remember what happened to them?"

Kakashi thought carefully. What could the Senju have to do with this girl?

"Most of the remaining Senju died protecting the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox," said Kakashi, "and then the last Senju family was murdered by the Uchiha clan one year after."

The Hokage nodded gravely, still watching the battered boy being placed onto a stretcher and carted away.

"Yes, it was terrible. The mother and father slaughtered and the little boy's throat slit. He had barely turned four. I'd like to think they took mercy on the boy, but it was a horrible way to die."

"What happened after? I don't remember the Uchiha being punished for that," he said. The Hokage shook his head.

"No. The killers were offered up and disavowed as criminals and traitors by the clan. The individuals were executed, but I still wonder to this day if the Uchiha elders had known all along and allowed it to happen, just to get rid of the Senju."

Beneath his mask, Kakashi grimaced. He recalled the village had been in chaos at that time. The war had thrown everyone into paranoia and fear and then came the news that the last of the great Senju clan - the clan of the First and Second Hokage - had been slaughtered. Bloody demands had been screamed from the people for the criminals to be punished, and they'd been duly executed. At the time, he'd been in a dark haze. He'd already lost Obito and Rin and had been executing mission after mission as ANBU. Most events from that time were blurry in his mind at best.

"So what does the girl have to do with the Senju?" asked Kakashi finally. To his surprise, the Hokage gave a bitter smile.

"The Senju boy was killed that night, but there was one other child - a girl," he said simply.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked back down to the ring. Of course, she had left long ago, and even the boy had been peeled off of the floor and taken away. The only remainder of the fight was a bloody smear and the nervous whispers that fluttered through the arena.

"She had started sneaking out of the house at night to train. She had just turned seven and was eager to graduate from the academy, so she'd been going to the forest to practice her shuriken throwing," continued the Hokage sadly. "And when she returned late in the night, she found her family slaughtered and the killers leaving the scene of the crime. The neighbors found her screaming and holding her little brother's dead body in a pool of his blood. Thanks to them, we were able to get to her before the killers could come back to finish the job."

Kakashi was speechless. That girl, so full of rage, was the last of the Senju clan - a descendant of the First and Second Hokage. He understood now - the Wood Release, the red eyes.

"That's why you assigned her to Asuma - so you could keep an eye on her and control who saw her Wood Release techniques," said Kakashi aloud. The Hokage nodded.

"So you caught it," he said grimly. "I told her time and time again to not use them here, but now the other Kage surely saw it, too."

"And you want me to teach her now, why?" The Hokage gave him a tight smile.

"Because you're similar," he said. He then relaxed a bit and looked back to the arena where a new pair of genin were now about to face off. "And Asuma is out of his league with her now, at least temperamentally. It's amazing she's made it this far without killing someone, honestly."

"And you think she'll listen to me?" asked Kakashi incredulously.

"It'll take some time, but I'm sure you'll manage," said the Hokage with a shrug. "And besides, you said you were interested in teaching, right?"

Kakashi sighed. He couldn't exactly turn down a personal request from the Hokage, but he had a feeling training this girl would be as difficult as an S-class mission.

"Why not ask Yamato? He can at least use Wood Release techniques," reasoned Kakashi.

"He has demonstrated his techniques to her a few times now, but he doesn't have enough experience yet to manage her."

Kakashi sighed again. The only known user of Wood Release existing in the world was Yamato, and as a genetically-altered specimen, it was not "natural" in a pure sense. She was truly the last of her kind.

Earth and Water Release came decently for him, but not naturally and certainly not as easily as they did to this girl. He wondered if he were in over his head.

"Okay," he relented. His curiosity was at least piqued. "What should I do then?"

"I'd like you to meet her after the matches are over. She is clearly going to be promoted to chuunin, regardless of who else wins here today," said the Hokage.

"You think that wise?" asked Kakashi skeptically.

"She's past the genin level, even with her lack of control. I believe it would be best to provide more challenging missions than to waste her talents with catching stray cats."

Kakashi couldn't argue with that, but he did wonder how he continued to be handed such terrible cards. He supposed it wouldn't hurt - seeing as how his luck went, she would either reject him or end up dead in a year. The world already thought the Senju were dead anyway. What did it matter if another child was struck down on the battlefield?

...

...

"What a mess."

Kakashi sighed. It was evening with the red Konoha sky bearing down on the village hotly. Music and cheering could be heard from the village even on the edges of the training grounds. He wondered if the end of the Chuunin Exams was even worth celebrating. After all, only one genin had passed, and Kakashi was sure the village would not be so happy if they knew how she had done so.

Arata Aki - for hours, Kakashi had been repeating her name in his head like a mantra. The blood in her eyes and the sound of her fists hitting her opponent's face had echoed in his gut. Despite the years of brutality he'd already witnessed, he had never seen someone so murderous, so violent - she had been the embodiment of fury, a vengeful spirit. He wondered just what that boy had said to bring such power out of her.

The rock he sat on was warm, the files in his hands fluttering in the summer breeze. The summer sun had not yet begun to fall, hot on the back of his neck. He wondered where they would be when it was ice that grazed over them.

How had he gotten stuck with such a difficult student? And for his first time teaching! He didn't understand how he'd landed in such a strange position or what could have made the Hokage think he was prepared for such a task. There was no way he could teach someone like her, and certainly not alone.

His eyes traced over the file the Hokage had given him. At the top of the front page was a photo of the enraged girl he'd seen beat her opponent into a bloody mess. Even in the photo, she seemed angry. Her eyes were deep red and sharp. He rubbed at his own eye red eye - hidden beneath his forehead protector - subconsciously.

 _Arata Aki, 11 years old, graduated from the academy at 10_. He frowned. It wasn't a particularly impressive age to graduate from the academy (after all, he'd graduated at age five). He looked again and arched a brow. She had entered the academy late at age nine, so really, it was to be expected that she was much more advanced than her peers. To go from genin to chuunin in just another year was uncommon also, but not unheard of. _Team 10, Team Leader: Sarutobi Asuma, blood type AB, birthday July 8…_

Kakashi frowned. On paper, there didn't seem to be anything interesting about her besides her quick promotion to chuunin, but even that was not the most impressive thing he'd seen. Overall, she seemed talented, but not exceptional. He scanned over the file and wondered how a child so extraordinary in the ring could be so normal on paper.

The photo of her though shook him much more than he'd like. With her glowering red eyes, he imagined she could pop out of the page and curse him like the black-haired ghosts in those terrible horror films Rin used to enjoy. He supposed she might be a pretty girl if she were to get rid of that constant scowl [he scolded himself for even entertaining the idea of telling a woman to smile], but as she was now, he couldn't really tell if she were a boy or girl.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi looked up from the photo to see the real thing standing in front of him. As if she had come to life from the paper, the girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. Her shoulders tensed, as if to prepare to fight, and she looked him up and down with criticality. The Hokage gave a tight smile as Kakashi jumped down from the large rock.

"Who're you?" she growled. Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh. He already knew this was going to be a lot of work.

"Aki, this is Hatake Kakashi. He's one of the Konoha's strongest shinobi. He's your new sensei," said the Hokage kindly. Kakashi noted with interest that the girl's bristling quieted slightly in front of the Hokage. At least she wasn't a completely rabid animal.

"What about Asuma?" she asked dully. Kakashi also noted the derisive tone and lack of title towards Asuma. His slight optimism immediately fizzled away.

"I know you're not immensely fond of Asuma-sensei, but Kakashi-sensei is even more knowledgeable in certain matters than I am. I think he can teach you many things," said the Hokage diplomatically.

"I can't even see his face though!" she growled. "How the hell am I supposed to trust someone who won't even show his face?"

"Aki, language!" scolded the Hokage, but she continued to scowl.

"You have a point there," admitted Kakashi. "But I wear the mask to keep all of you safe, you see. I'm pretty ugly under here."

Aki wasn't amused, of course. She scanned Kakashi up and down and then glared directly up into his face. He did sigh this time.

"Look, I know you're not eager to have me as your teacher, but if you give me a chance, I can teach you a few things you might find useful. You won't even have a team to hold you back, just me. What do you say?"

Aki still glared, but she looked less angry at the notion of not having a team. An idea popped into Kakashi's head with the memories of his first test with Minato. He knew it could end badly, but it seemed like the only way to get some respect from the kid.

"What about a match then? If you can take my mask off, I'll get out of here and the Hokage can find you someone else to teach you. If I can incapacitate you, you listen to what I have to say. How's that sound?" he suggested. The Hokage frowned slightly, but Aki's face twitched with interest. Kakashi had at least succeeded in continuing the conversation.

"If I win, you'll leave me alone?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yup. You'll never have to see me again."

He pondered briefly what would happen if he were to lose on purpose. The Hokage would obviously see through it. She probably would too, and then he'd be at an even worse place with her.

"Fine. Let's do this," she said.

The Hokage sighed as they moved to the center of the field and faced each other. Kakashi watched discreetly as she stretched out her wrists. She then crouched down low and placed her hands on the ground.

Was she really trying to use the same technique as in the Chuunin Exam? He supposed she didn't know he'd been watching. If she used the same tactics again, he would beat her in a matter of seconds. Should he draw it out or end it quickly?

The Hokage raised his hand.

"Ready?" he called. "Three, two, one, duel!"

Kakashi had expected the ground beneath him to burst as it had in the exam. He leapt back to evade the roots coming up from below him, but instead, they surged up like a blade at his back. Just at the last moment, he flipped himself over them like a pole vault and landed safely a few meters away.

It wasn't the subtle slither he'd seen in the exam. This was wild, dangerous. As the roots missed their target, they bent and then whipped down hard, breaking the earth as he dodged. Chakra spilled out of them like fiery oil. He couldn't stop or he'd be crushed. Kakashi gasped as the girl came flying through the surging dirt with the soil exploding around her. Her fist came shooting towards him as soon as he landed. Again, he leapt away. His throat tightened as he saw the spot he'd just left burst with surging wood.

It wasn't coming up from deep in the ground this time though. She'd sprouted it with her own chakra from the face of the soil.

 _So much for telling her to come at me with the intention to kill_ , he thought to himself. He wondered what Obito would say if he really were killed by a chuunin.

Kakashi dodged once more. It was apparent that the Hokage had been right in saying that she'd been holding back during her exam. She'd have no problem as a chuunin. What was she again, 11? She landed and came flying towards him again. Kakashi planted his feet into the ground and made quick work of his hands.

Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger-

With his index finger and thumb hooked before his mouth, Kakashi exhaled. A massive fireball shot from his breath, hurtling towards Aki. Her mouth stretched open to shout, but there was no time. The fireball consumed her. Kakashi opened his mouth to shout for her, but as the fire vanished, there was no one within. Instead, her form crumbled into singed wood and fell away.

"Damn," he breathed.

"No kidding!"

Kakashi spun. From above, Aki came plummeting down face-first. Her left hand came swinging around, bearing a kunai. His eyes widened as her hand twisted just before hitting him.

The Hokage hummed with amusement as the smoke cleared. The girl's hand had turned into writhing vines, which were wrapped around a struggling Kakashi. He smiled at her victorious expression as her vines began reaching for Kakashi's mask.

"I'd look more carefully if I were you!" he called.

Aki's eyes narrowed at his words, but just as he'd warned, the Kakashi in her grasp was not the one she'd wanted. There was a pop and then the man turned back into a log. She gasped and turned.

"You-" she started, but it was too late.

The ground opened up beneath her, and a hand shot out to grab her ankle. She screamed as the earth swallowed her whole. The sound of cawing birds filled the air as the dust settled. The Hokage laughed lightly at the sight:

Arata Aki, 11 years old, had just been the target of Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique for the very first time.

"I win," said Kakashi.

The girl looked shocked beyond words, coughing up dirt and dust. Her red eyes were wide, disbelieving. Even her mouth hung open slightly, gasping for breath. Face wet with sweat, lips dry - she had truly fought with everything she had. Something in Kakashi resonated with the knowledge.

He took a deep breath - he tasted sweat and smoke - and stood slowly. The girl remained in the ground, still disbelieving.

Kakashi had always found the sight of a person in the ground deeply amusing, but something about the sight of this girl, with all of her bravado, stuck and struggling made him want to belly laugh. Her head was the only thing that remained above the ground, though he could see her shoulders thrashing beneath the soil. He smiled.

"That was a good fight. I see why the Hokage has favored you," he said. He thought that if looks could kill, he'd be dead on the ground by now.

"Get me out of here now!" she snarled.

"Only after you admit that I won."

She stopped thrashing, shot him a piercing glare, and roared, " _Never!_ "

"Now, now, Aki, you did make an agreement," said the Hokage as he approached.

"How could you go all out against a chuunin?"

"Would you have preferred I take it easy on you?" he asked archly. She glowered up at him from the ground, and he smiled beneath his mask.

For another few seconds, the Hokage and Kakashi simply watched the girl thrash and struggle against her earthly restraints. When he finally had his fill of his amusement, Kakashi bent down and said, ""Here, I'll help you out." She did not look grateful.

Slowly, he started shoving the soil away from her with his fingers. His hands sank into the soil easily, as she'd loosened much of it from her thrashing. The piles around her grew and grew as he finally was able to push the soil away down to her elbows. The Hokage hummed pleasantly as he watched and waited. As the dirt fell away, she averted her gaze angrily. He bent down, extending a hand to help her up as her arms finally came free. Aki stared at the hand, and Kakashi thought for a moment that she truly would accept it.

But she then scowled and heaved her legs from the ground on her own, ignoring his gesture; however, she didn't bite back or even slap the hand away as he'd expected of her. She simply stood up, albeit sorely and begrudgingly, and brushed off her clothes. Kakashi noted a few blades of grass in her hair but thought better than to reach over and try to pull them out. She really might tear his hand off if he were to do that.

"Well done, you two," said the Hokage. "So Kakashi-kun, what did you think?" Kakashi cast a glance at the girl, but her gaze was averted. He saw her teeth grind and wondered if he'd angered her past the point of words.

"Aki-san is very strong. I understand why you called her a prodigy," he said, repeating his words from earlier. He glanced discreetly to see that she did not seem to mind the honorific. The Hokage nodded, smiling proudly.

"She'll be the pride of Konoha one day," he said. Kakashi eyed her for a reaction from the corner of his eye and was surprised to see Aki's lips pulling. She looked up at the Hokage, who smiled warmly, and then she looked back down. Was she embarrassed?

"Well, Aki, I think you and Kakashi-sensei should start working out a training regimen," said the Hokage.

"No way," she snapped.

"Now, Aki, you did agree-"

"He went all out against a chuunin!" she argued.

"I didn't even exert 40 percent of my abilities," corrected Kakashi. She looked murderous at his comment.

"I don't want to train with him."

"Well, he's your only choice," said the Hokage, "unless you'd like to go back to Asuma's team again."

Aki turned a furious shade of puce at the suggestion. Looking up at Kakashi, he wondered if ground might explode beneath him, but after a few seconds, she looked away.

"Fine."

"Excellent!" exclaimed the Hokage happily. "I'll take care of the paperwork, Kakashi, so don't worry about that. I'll have a mission ready for you on Monday!"

Kakashi nodded, glancing at Aki discreetly. Though the anger was smoldering, he could see the frustration welling up inside of her. He sighed inwardly.

"Don't look so down, Aki. I promise you'll love working with Kakashi-sensei," said the Hokage. "You've got the best teacher in all of Konoha now."

"If you say so," she muttered.

"Why don't you two work out a schedule for the rest of the week? You should get started right away so that you get in tune with each other," said the Hokage. He then smiled softly at Aki in a way that piqued Kakashi's curiosity. "I'll see you tomorrow night? We should celebrate your promotion."

Aki looked deeply embarrassed, but there was a slight twitch of her mouth in response. Kakashi pretended not to notice the obvious favoritism towards her. He wondered if the Hokage had taken more of a role in her upbringing in secret.

"Okay," she said tinily.

Goodbyes were said, and the Hokage waved lazily as he started back towards the village. They both watched him go silently, the sun turning orange as it started its descent. When the Hokage disappeared into the trees, Aki looked up at Kakashi, and before he could say anything, she declared, "Just because you're a jonin doesn't mean I'm going along with this because I want to, got it? I'm only doing this because Sandaime-sama told me to!"

It was the most he'd heard her speak so far, and she spoke with such severity that Kakashi could not hide his surprise. He absorbed the information and her glare slowly before nodding.

"Yes, of course."

"I don't know what's so special about you anyway. Can you even do Wood Release?" she scoffed.

"The only other person I know of who can do that is Yamato," he said honestly.

"Then why are _you_ my teacher?" she asked indignantly. He thought to himself that she was much more talkative now that the Hokage was gone.

"Look, I know you're not happy about this, but just give me a chance for now. I can help you with everything else," he said, regaining his composure. "I may not look like it, but I've been a shinobi for longer than you've been alive. I have a lot of experience in espionage and in battle that I can share with you, even if I can't help you with Wood Release jutsu. Give me a chance for three months. If you're not satisfied, I'll let you switch teachers."

Aki did not look impressed still, giving a frustrated sigh, but she responded, "Be here tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. If you're even a second late, I'll report you to Hokage-sama."

She then turned on her heel and walked away, following the path the Hokage had taken just minutes before, but she picked up her pace and then leapt into the trees. Her form disappeared into the shadows of evening, the sun hanging low in the sky. Kakashi let the sound of crickets settle over him for a moment before taking a deep breath.

He had at least passed the first test, but he could not be relieved. The unexpected trial that was Arata Aki made his chest squeeze. He had been handed Konoha's biggest living secret, and that secret seemed determined to kill him. He let out a deep sigh as he stared up into the purple sky.

The sun was red, fiery. He imagined Aki's screaming face, splattered with blood. In the distance, he saw the Hokage Rock with the faces of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama looking over the village. He imagined Aki's face and tried to see the similarities between her and her forefathers but found that he could not picture her calm. The First and Second's looming faces set him more at unease.

Kakashi started back towards the village as well, the Memorial Rock in his mind. He would go talk to Obito and tell him about this strange new challenge - Obito who had wanted his face carved into the Hokage Rock. He wondered just what his old friend would say if he could see him flounder now. No doubt Obito would have laughed. He kept the memory firmly in his chest with the hope that he did not dishonor the Will of Fire upon which the Senju had built Konohagakure.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, maybe write me a review if you get a chance. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading!


	4. Ninmu

**4\. Ninmu**

It was July in Konohagakure. The rainy season was upon them with hot clouds swirling overhead and humidity dripping from every face for miles around. Kakashi felt the steam building beneath his mask as he dodged and landed on the ground in the most distant training field around Konoha.

"Again!"

Kakashi took his landing and shot off hard towards the small kunoichi across the field. She snarled as he came flying towards her and braced herself for his attack. He glowered with disappointment as he slammed into her, sending her flying backwards. The girl cried out with pain as she flew through the air and then hit the tree in the distance hard, sliding to her hands and knees. Sweat dripped down her face and into the dirt as she struggled to her feet. Kakashi heard her sputter and choke as he approached her. A flicker of guilt flitted across his mind as he stood over her doubled-over form, but he disregarded it.

"What happened to your reversal?" he sighed. She let out another gasp and then looked up at him, seething. When she didn't respond, he continued, "I've told you a million times that you can't take the full brunt of a larger opponent. Either dodge or utilize their force into a counterattack. This is basic taijutsu."

Arata Aki, beaten and bruised on the ground, snarled furiously up at him and swung out her foot. He leapt out of the way just as she shot upwards at him with her fists. He spun, grabbing her ankle. Aki shrieked as he swung her straight down into the ground.

When one has the breath knocked out of them, there's a specific gasp, almost inaudible. Kakashi had heard it countless times through his career, but it had been awhile since he'd heard it from a child. He had smacked Aki around now a few times since beginning her training as a chuunin, but he still could not help but feel deeply uncomfortable about it coming from her.

As soon as she hit the ground, Kakashi let go. The air from Aki's lungs disappeared in an instant, and then she lay there gasping and wheezing, eyes wide with shock. Kakashi took a step back before she lashed out at him again, but she did not move from her spot on the ground. Finally, she was able to roll onto her side, spit dripping from her mouth as she finally regained control over her throat.

"Y-You… bastard!" she gasped, still unable to look up at him. Kakashi marveled at the raw anger that laced her words, even in such shock.

"I told you: you have to use your opponent's weight against him," repeated Kakashi again with a sigh. His guilt slipped away slightly as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. "If you rely on brute strength, this is what happens."

"Go to hell!" she snapped and then spat her defeat again into the dirt. Kakashi sighed and did not bother to offer a hand. He knew she would not take it even if he did.

A month had passed since the Hokage had dropped the strange child on the ground into Kakashi's care. He had hoped that after a month her disdain for him would soften to at least a reluctant form of civility, but her opinion of him seemed to have only lowered, if possible. Every piece of advice was dismissed and sometimes consciously defied, and each sparring session seemed to be an opportunity for her to try to genuinely fight him. With their lack of synchronization (or even professionalism), Kakashi thought it imprudent to accept any missions, and so they remained in Konoha training day in and day out.

It was the longest Kakashi had been in the village at any one time since becoming a shinobi. After his graduation from the academy, he had moved nearly non-stop for missions and the war. Taking on a chuunin had seemed like a nice reprieve from his relentless schedule, but now, he was growing restless. The village was too noisy, too still. His apartment felt a little too small.

As Aki struggled to catch her breath, Kakashi looked up into the sky. The sound of birds mingled with wheezing and sputtering. The sun was beginning its final curve downward, red and bright. He wanted to watch it set between the trees.

"Let's head back and call it a day. We need to report to the Hokage anyway," said Kakashi. He looked down to see Aki was up on her hands and knees now, glaring furiously at him. He arched a brow. "Are you getting up or what?" When she snarled, he rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the back of her collar. She gave a yelp like a wounded dog as he hauled her up into the air, legs kicking and flailing.

"I hate you!" she shouted, swinging her fists. Kakashi grunted at the impact of her punches to his side, pondering his bad luck. Sighing once more, he set her down on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he muttered. He stopped her kicking and punching with a swift chop to her head. She grunted and rubbed at her forehead, whining. Kakashi thought again that she was very much like a dog.

Kakashi started walking back towards the village, not bothering to wait for Aki. He heard her scamper after him, still growling and muttering under her breath, but chose to ignore it. They continued through the trees in silence, which they both appreciated. When they got to town, the evening sun felt hotter than in the fields. The raucous summer night markets were beginning to set up, and Kakashi's stomach growled.

"Do you want to get something to eat?"

As soon as he spoke, he wondered what possessed him to think she would accept, and just as he suspected, she responded with an incredulous, "Not with you!"

And so they continued in silence. At this point, a team generally ate at least one meal a day together. During their training sessions, he and Aki ate a simple lunch quickly, and now that he glanced around at the food stalls around him, he wondered just who was making the lunches for her. Kakashi knew that Aki lived in her own small apartment somewhere close to the administrative offices, so she was probably cooking for herself. The little bento box in her bag was probably prepared by her own hands. She would most likely make her own dinner as well.

A part of him wondered why she chose to live alone when the Hokage had cared for her for several years, and yet another part understood completely. He had been offered a place with relatives from his clan after his father had died, but even now, the thought was repulsive. He would rather be alone.

Just as they reached the center of the village, Kakashi saw a familiar large form, and he had a sense of deja vu. Sarutobi Asuma and his genin team came walking towards him, waving with a broad smile. Kakashi did not miss Asuma's smile faltering at the sight of Aki. The girl visibly bristled as they approached.

"Kakashi, how's it going?" asked Asuma. "Coming back from the training grounds?"

"Yeah, we put in a good day's worth," said Kakashi, shooting Aki and subtle glance. Asuma smiled, and Kakashi sensed that it was genuine.

"Yo, Aki. Good to see you," said Asuma.

"Hn," she grunted, looking away. Kakashi arched a brow as she took a step closer to him, gaze averted with a scowl. He supposed he should be glad that she at least preferred him to Asuma.

Finally, he noticed the three small genin beside Asuma - two girls and a boy. He didn't remember seeing them at the Chuunin Exam, but he reasoned they must have been there. None of them had passed.

"Hey, I was thinking that maybe our teams could get together and grab dinner sometime," suggested Asuma brightly. "I'm sure these guys would love to catch up and see what you guys have been working on. Your birthday is coming up too, right?"

"Yeah, right," sang the young shinobi. Kakashi wasn't sure exactly who had spoken, but it had been Aki and at least one of Asuma's team. Kakashi and Asuma shared a look and sighed. Aki dipped behind Kakashi so that she was hidden from Asuma's view. Kakashi shrugged apologetically.

"Where are you guys headed?" asked Kakashi.

"Everyone's going home. We're setting out early tomorrow morning, so tonight is for packing and sleep," said Asuma. "Speaking of which, the Hokage mentioned wanting to speak to you about a mission. Maybe head over there whenever you get a chance."

Kakashi offered his thanks, and both parties diverged at the obvious state of tension. Kakashi did not miss the cold looks Asuma's team shot Aki or the way she turned her head defiantly away. He made a note to ask Asuma more about that later.

"Your birthday is coming up," he repeated as her former team disappeared. She glared at him from the corner of her eye.

"So what?"

"We should celebrate."

"No."

The two of them did not speak again as they made their way to the Hokage's office. Through the busy streets and the deep shadows cast by the setting sun, Kakashi guided Aki through the village. Now beside him once again, her eyes were narrowed and glowing in the orange light. He had a sense of deja vu again, wondering why the slight shiver felt so familiar. As they stepped into the building, the glint in her gaze softened. Kakashi concluded there was still much, much more to determine about her.

"Kakashi, good timing, I was just thinking about you two," greeted the Hokage happily. The sun was now low, lighting the room in a melancholy way. "Aki-kun, it's good to see you."

To his surprise, Aki bowed deeply, a tight expression on her face. She said nothing as she stood up again, but Kakashi thought she looked a little more confident.

"I have a mission for you two. It's a good one!" said the Hokage, smiling broadly, apparently pleased. "Class-C! There are some bandits about two days west that are harassing the farmers there. We have been asked to capture or eliminate them."

"Eliminate?" asked Kakashi archly.

"Yes, they've pillaged and raped a few small villages. I think they're past negotiating," said the Hokage gravely.

"I see," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "Do you think it wise to send us for a first mission?" he asked tactfully.

"A mission like this will be a good opportunity for you two to adjust to each other. There's no better test than a tough scenario." Kakashi nodded, wondering just how true that was.

"I guess this is a good chance to put the training to use, eh."

"Hn."

He sighed inwardly. Apparently the deference was reserved for the Hokage only.

"Two days walking or running?" asked Kakashi.

"Two days is an ambitious estimation."

He sighed again. That meant he and Aki would be together for at least a week. This would be a great test for their future as a team.

"You set out in two days. Get some rest and prepare properly," said the Hokage. He did not look at Aki directly, but Kakashi was sure he was speaking to her when he said, "You represent the legacy and honor of Konohagakure and all those who have come before you. I wish you luck and expect you to return swiftly and successfully."

Kakashi pondered the Hokage's words as they stepped out of his office. The Hokage was not a man of flowery words, and even when he had been placed in ANBU, the Hokage had not spoken of things such as honor to him. He glanced over at the girl discreetly and wondered just how dear this walking torrent was to the older man.

The last Senju was about to set out on her first mission as a chuunin, and no one knew except for him and the Hokage.

"Kakashi, stay for a minute. I have one more thing I want to talk to you about. Aki-kun, you may go," said the Hokage. Her face flinched momentarily with something Kakashi wanted to call hurt, but the Hokage smiled. "It's about another mission. I'm sure he'll tell you about it later."

She nodded and bowed in that reverential way again before turning to leave. She shot Kakashi a suspicious glance over her shoulder before the door closed. The Hokage sighed audibly.

"I see you two are getting on swimmingly," he said with a wry smile. Kakashi grimaced.

"We're… improving." He supposed that might be true.

"Is she still fighting you?"

"Yes."

The Hokage hummed thoughtfully, rubbing at his temple. "She is a difficult child, spoiled. I was soft with her, thinking that her grief would subside if she were shown kindness, but it seems that by offering no discipline, I only exacerbated her anger. I put her on Asuma's team to keep an eye on her Wood affinity, but I also hoped that she might learn some camaraderie. Unfortunately, she only became more abrasive and resentful of their skill difference and made their teamwork sloppy."

Kakashi nodded. He understood the hostile interaction between the young shinobi now. They clearly still harbored bitterness towards her. He could only imagine how disruptive she'd been with them.

"Do you think you are capable of handling her?" asked the Hokage bluntly. His gaze was cloudy. He looked tired. "I truly believed that you would be able to help her, if not with her anger then at least with her control. You two are so alike, after all."

"Do you really think that?" asked Kakashi. He wasn't so sure he agreed. Arrogant, sure, but he had never allowed his emotions to disrupt his work. The Hokage nodded.

"Similar, very similar. I will send you on this mission, and we'll see how you two manage. I'm confident that you can complete it on your own, if it comes to that." Kakashi frowned at the pessimistic outlook. "You have two more months per your agreement with her. See if this mission changes anything before you make a decision on whether to continue with her or not."

"And if I decide to quit?" The Hokage sighed.

"We'll figure something out."

The corridor was quiet as Kakashi stepped out of the office. The evening was red. Staring out the window over the rooftops, he imagined Aki in her small apartment eating dinner alone, as he would do when he got home. Similar, maybe, but the angles between them did not align completely. He wondered what would happen in the coming week. Their mission would be a success regardless of what she decided to do, but he could not say with certainty if she would act as a boon or a hindrance.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please leave me a review!


	5. Tomorrow

**5\. Tomorrow**

"Itterashai!"

Kakashi nodded at the man behind the counter as he ducked into the small soba shop. It was a quiet place, quieter than Ichiraku Ramen or the barbeque restaurant his peers loved so much down the street. The only other patron besides Kakashi in the shop was an old woman slurping from a bowl of noodles in the corner by the entrance. He sat down at the table farthest in.

Despite how he seemed, Kakashi rarely depended on others for food, choosing to cook for himself at home. The only times he ate outside of the home were after long missions when he was too tired to cook or when a colleague asked him out for a meal. This was the latter.

He didn't have to wait long. The cloth at the entry billowed as a large man stepped into the restaurant. Sarutobi Asuma nodded to the proprietor before joining Kakashi in the corner. He grinned as he sat down.

"Yo, Kakashi."

"Asuma, thanks for meeting with me."

"No problem. I'm always down for soba."

They ordered the same set of tororo soba and shared small talk for a few minutes. Asuma was one of the few former classmates of Kakashi's that he enjoyed talking to, at least when no one else was around. They hadn't been close in school, for the larger boy had always been too popular to actually sit down and have a conversation one-on-one. Now that they were out on their own, they were able to converse in private like this, where Kakashi could hear his own thoughts. Asuma seemed to appreciate it as well.

"I heard you've got a mission tomorrow," said Asuma between slurps. Kakashi nodded, teacup in hand. He would eat at home.

"A place called Tsurui to the west. They've got some bandits terrorizing the area."

"Tsurui, I think I've been there. Nice place, quiet," said Asuma thoughtfully. "I think I brought Kurenai some mochi back from there. They have a special regional rice that's good for it."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kakashi. Truly, he had no one to bring mochi back for, but he wasn't rude enough to say that aloud. He wondered idly if Aki liked mochi.

"It's your first mission then - with Aki, I mean," said Asuma. "I'm assuming that's why you invited me out." Kakashi nodded.

"I want to know what your experience was with her." Asuma pushed his empty bowl away and leaned back in his seat thoughtfully. He sighed.

"She's not a bad kid, but she's rough; a lot of insecurities," said Asuma, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. That was a new development. Kakashi had to remind himself that they were objectively still young, even if they didn't feel it. Kakashi himself barely had any facial hair yet and certainly not as much as Asuma's patchy scruff. "I'm assuming you know about her situation, right?"

"Yeah, I was briefed."

"So you get why she's like that. She's always expecting someone to ambush her, never lets her guard down. It makes for an anxious environment."

"I could see that in your team yesterday," noted Kakashi.

"Yeah, there's no love lost between them," said Asuma with a sigh. "It's unfortunate. They could've learned a lot from her, but she has no patience. I was hoping being close to kids her own age would help loosen her up, but she thought they were just holding her back."

Kakashi flinched inwardly. He understood that sentiment better than he'd like to admit. Perhaps he had not been as extreme, but he'd made no effort to hide his disdain for Rin and Obito when they'd first been grouped together. He realized that he'd never apologized to them for it.

"How was she on missions?" asked Kakashi. Asuma smiled wryly.

"Well, genin missions aren't exactly strenuous."

"Was she a freezer?"

"Not at all. A little too enthusiastic, if I'm honest."

A freezer was what they called genin who panicked on their first combat missions. In his experience, at least a third of shinobi froze up on the spot during their initial confrontation. Obito had been a freezer.

"How'd she do on the Chuunin Exams? I only saw her last round match." Asuma winced.

"Oof, you were there for that, huh? That was pretty brutal. The rest of it went smoothly, though she almost didn't pass the first portion."

Kakashi nodded. He couldn't imagine her sitting still at a desk for longer than a few minutes. She also was the least subtle kid he'd ever met. It must have required all of her effort to pass that exam.

"She didn't use Wood Release while with you, did she?"

"Not when the others were around. We had a few sessions with Yamato though in private to help her get some control over her abilities," said Asuma.

"How many sessions?"

"We met maybe twice a month for three months."

"Three months," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "That's not much. Did you see any improvements in that time?"

"I'd say she makes up a bit for the roughness with her natural affinity for ninjutsu. Obviously I can't compare it to much, but from what Yamato said, she got a good grasp on it in those few months."

"I noticed she tends towards taijutsu."

"Yeah, I wanted to break her of that habit but didn't get far with it. She's strong, but she's not going to beat someone like Gai or the Hyuuga with that. Does she use Wood Release with you?"

"From time to time. I'm not sure if she even realizes she's using it."

"She doesn't know you know who she is?" asked Asuma with surprise.

"I haven't told her so explicitly, and I don't think the Hokage has either. But she used it during our first sparring match," said Kakashi. Asuma groaned and smacked himself in the forehead.

"What an idiot. She's too impulsive for her own good."

"I'm starting to get that."

"Will you let her use it on your mission?"

"I don't know how to broach the subject with her without confronting the underlying issue. I guess it's probably okay for this mission since we're not dealing with shinobi. Bandits won't know the difference."

"That's true. I guess you can wait till you come back to address it. Do you have a schedule for the coming month?"

"I think we have another small mission a week after we come back, nothing big though. I only have a three-month agreement with her now, so we'll see how that goes."

"Yeah, my dad mentioned that," said Asuma. "Are you guys improving together?"

"I honestly have no idea," said Kakashi.

"Do you want to stick with her after the three months?" Kakashi sighed.

"I really don't know. I thought my teaching tenure would be a little more mundane." Asuma chuckled.

"Didn't we all? Well, any student you get after her will seem like a breeze."

"If she doesn't kill me first." The larger man let out a barking laugh.

It was bright when they stepped out of the soba shop. Kakashi felt the humidity unpleasantly on his neck. He wondered if that was a bad sign for the next day's mission. There was nothing worse than lying awake in a pool of one's own sweat in the middle of nowhere.

"You meeting with Aki today?" asked Asuma.

"Later this evening to go over mission briefing, but I gave her the rest of the day off."

"You've been working her hard."

"She's got a lot of energy," said Kakashi with a shrug. He noted that if someone heard them talking, they might think they were discussing a badly behaved dog.

They walked together to the edge of town. Asuma was headed for the training grounds where his students were finishing up their lunch break. Kakashi's family home was nearby. He considered the chores he had to do before leaving in the morning.

"Well, good luck tomorrow. You're going to need it," said Asuma, as they reached the trees.

"Thanks for meeting up with me. I'll try to bring back some mochi from Tsurui," said Kakashi. Asuma grinned.

"Get me some daifuku if you can. That one's Kurenai's favorite." He paused and glanced back, adding, "She's had a rough time - Aki, I mean. I hope you can do right by her."

They parted with a nod. Kakashi counted his impending chores mentally. He would certainly have to do some laundry when he returned, seeing how humid it was. In fact, he should pack a couple of extra shirts in anticipation of the heat. Aki's scowling face came to mind. He would pack a few more medical supplies too, just in case. He had a feeling they would need them.

* * *

 **A/N:** The chapter name references Asuma's name (明日真), which means "true tomorrow."


	6. Crane

**Warning:** Descriptions of violence.

…

...

 **6\. Crane**

They left at dawn on a humid, yellow morning. The Hokage had told them two days was an ambitious estimation, but Kakashi had always been a highly motivated individual, no matter how lazy his facade. He set an unforgiving pace for the village to the west, through the dense forests that surrounded Konoha. When they stopped for their first of many nights on the road, he was pleased to see Aki panting and coated in sweat, just as he was.

She had whined of course, but the exhaustion had multiple benefits on her besides the training. Seemingly too tired to even complain, Aki set up camp with Kakashi with efficient speed and fell asleep almost immediately, foregoing dinner. Kakashi sighed, taking up the night watch. He supposed he'd have to work on her stamina before they could take on more equivalent responsibilities. He made a note to make her eat a large breakfast or she wouldn't make it through their journey.

It still felt odd to look out for someone so young in this way. He decided it was something he'd have to get used to.

Kakashi wanted to relish the freedom, but it was dampened by the additional weight of humidity and reluctant student. It felt like years since he had been out in the world again. He hadn't taken on a mission since the Hokage had dropped the strange girl onto his plate, and this mission had been timed just as Kakashi's restlessness hit its peak. The forest was quiet, the darkness soothing. There were no unwanted eyes here, no voices on the street to wake him in the middle of the night. Even Aki's usual snarling had gone quiet out there in the forest. Kakashi wanted to breathe in the wild air, but moisture hit the back of his throat, coated his face and neck. It seemed inappropriate to disrobe even a little while his student lie five feet away, and so he simply sat in the wetness and heat, praying the sun would rise soon.

Just as he'd hoped, they found the village before nightfall on their second day. With the sun low on the horizon, Kakashi and Aki stepped out of the dense forests to see a stretch of rolling fields and dark lakes. The water glowed red and orange with dusk, little dots of white and black figures moving against it. Kakashi over at Aki, whose face was wet with their journey through the sweltering forest. Her eyes scanned over the lake in a daze.

"First time outside the village, huh?" His words snapped her back to the present. She harrumphed and stomped off for the tiny farmhouses below. Kakashi sighed a bit as he followed.

It was a sleepy town, the kind that littered the countryside of the Land of Fire. Kakashi had been to countless villages like this, where all the people were a little hard, a little old. He could remember the times he'd gone on missions like this with Minato and the others when he'd been as young as Aki. If Minato had not died, perhaps he would not be here with Aki. Maybe Rin and Obito would be standing beside him instead. So many things would be different if their luck had not gone so sour.

"Be polite. Don't say anything that might hurt them. They're in a sad situation right now," said Kakashi as they approached the edge of the village. She glared.

"I'm not a monster, you know," she said. Kakashi wondered how true that was.

The village was silent as they stepped onto the dirt streets. Aki looked around with her lip curling. "What a dump," she said. Kakashi glared and knocked her over the head.

"Shut up, you brat." She rubbed her head, scowling up at him.

"What? You were thinking it too."

"Places like this deserve respect. You could learn a thing or two from these people."

"Like what, how to milk a cow?"

"Like how to work for a living," he snapped.

Up the road, a door finally cracked open. Two men and a woman stepped out with a pitchfork and lantern. The woman held it high to see their faces as they approached and seemed to slump with relief as she saw the Konoha emblems on their foreheads. She bowed deeply as they met her.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. My name is Atsuko. I am the chief of this village." Her voice was high and reedy. Kakashi bowed and was relieved to see Aki follow suit.

"We came as fast as we could. We understand your need is dire," he said, standing.

"Yes, please come inside and rest. We can discuss where there are less ears."

Aki arched a brow up at Kakashi as the men and woman turned to guide them in. Kakashi responded with a slight glare to remind her to keep her mouth shut.

"Welcome to Tsurui. I wish we could greet you with our usual hospitality, but business in the village has been difficult over the past few weeks," said the chief as she kneeled at a small table.

"How long have you been suffering from this ordeal?" asked Kakashi.

"Over a month now. Our stores can hold us over for a while longer, but if we do not harvest our crops soon, they will spoil, and we will run out of stocks before winter."

"What do you harvest here?"

"Rice, beans, carrots - staples for the region. Our lake also yields good fish, but the bandits have scared off all of our buyers, and if we cannot sell, we cannot work."

"Can you describe the bandits for me? How many, how skilled their fighting is?

"There are about fifteen of them, all ex-mercenaries, we believe. They reside in the forests nearby. Months ago, they sprouted up to the north and made their way here, raiding and burning towns along the way. Four weeks ago, they arrived here and killed about thirty of our villagers and took one of our women, and have returned sporadically to take more of our crops. We fear that they will finish off our people as they did in the other villages."

"We're very sorry for your loss. May I ask what types of weapons they wield?" asked Kakashi.

"Bows and swords. The largest one carries a large axe. They ride on horseback."

"And at what time at night did they strike last?"

"Around midnight."

"I see. We probably have some time then," said Kakashi.

The chief looked over him and Aki warily. The girl was surprisingly still, but her head was held with defiance. "Is it just the two of you or do you have more colleagues on the way?" asked Atsuko.

"It's just us." The chief frowned.

"I was under the impression that there would be more of you. There are many bandits, and you are so young." She glanced at Aki for emphasis. The girl scowled but said nothing.

"Two of us is more than enough," said Kakashi. He was glad to see Aki nod in agreement.

"If you are confident, then I will not argue. What can we do to assist you in your work?" said Atsuko with resignation.

"We would like access to your rooftops and lake, and I ask that everyone in the village remain in their homes until we confirm that all the bandits are incapacitated." He glanced at Aki. "Is there anything you need?"

"Do you have any wooden rods or poles I can use?" she asked ominously. The chief arched a brow and glanced up at one of the guards.

"Is a boat pole suitable?" he said. She nodded.

"The more you have, the better."

The man nodded and left to retrieve the poles she requested. Kakashi looked at Aki curiously but didn't question her in front of the chief. She seemed to appreciate it.

"If that's all you require, then we will begin preparing right away. From what direction did the bandits come last time?"

"From the eastern forest."

Kakashi nodded. They probably came close to the bandits. He could have eliminated them then, but there was no time to consider wasted opportunities. The doors opened as the man returned with an armful of bamboo poles. He looked surprised as Aki accepted their weight without flinching. Atsuko's worries seemed to lessen just slightly.

"Do whatever it is that you need to do. Good luck and thank you," she said, bowing deeply. The men followed suit. Kakashi and Aki stepped outside, closing the door behind them. Kakashi glanced down at the girl with her bundle of bamboo.

"This is crappy wood," she mumbled, assessing the poles with a curled lip.

"You expect them to use luxury goods on fishing?" he countered. "What are you planning to do with that?"

"I want to plant them along the eastern border."

Kakashi arched a brow when it became clear she wouldn't explain any further. He sighed as she ran off. The bundle was larger than she was, making her gait clumsy and stilted. She looked like a normal girl for moment as she shoved one pole into the ground so that it stood tall. She continued in this way until all seven poles stood along the hillside, spread out along the edge of the village. Kakashi hummed thoughtfully as she came running back.

"I see," he said to her as she joined him. She ignored him as she headed back for the house on the perimeter. He sighed as he turned to follow her.

"Can we eat now?" she asked, leaping up onto the roof. Kakashi rolled his eyes.

…

…

Night fell quickly as they sat on the thatched roof. All of the villagers had retreated into their houses as he'd asked, leaving him and Aki alone in the night. Kakashi chewed on the onigiri in his hand as he watched the sky.

It was hot. Beneath his mask, Kakashi's face was slick with sweat. A line of moisture trickled down his back. He considered jumping into the lake after they completed the mission.

The sky was still. He'd expected clouds considering the moisture, but the sky was completely clear. Glancing discreetly, he saw Aki's gaze was also directed upward. She reached up and wiped a handful of sweat away from her forehead.

"Missions to rural areas aren't always this hot," he said. She immediately scowled at him, and he sighed inwardly.

"I'd rather be in a city. At least we have air conditioning in Konoha."

"If you continue as a kunoichi, you'll be in places like this more often than not," said Kakashi archly. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll take up protection work then for political figures."

"That stuff gets old really fast."

He couldn't picture her as a silent bodyguard, though he didn't say it aloud. Sitting in the wilderness with grass in her hair and clothes seemed more appropriate.

"Aki, before the fighting begins, we should go over a couple of things," he said. She looked mildly annoyed to be brought back to business but listened. "I know you're strong, but don't use your full ability unless absolutely necessary. Chakra depletion is a bad situation to experience, and in the case of an emergency, you'll need to make sure you have some saved."

"I know that," she said with a scowl.

"I know you do. I just want you to know how important it is," said Kakashi. "But it doesn't go for just you. There will be no need to use your full strength on these men, not unless they have shinobi with them. If conflict can be resolved without fighting, always choose to negotiate first."

Aki frowned in an odd way, staring at him. He found that it was easier to look her in the eye in the dark, for the harsh color was softened. She opened her mouth to respond, but Kakashi put a hand up to silence her. He listened carefully and heard a nearly silent rumbling in the distance. Slowly, it grew louder and louder. It was the sound of hooves.

"They're here," he said. He and Aki fell to their bellies behind the peak of the roof as shouts began to echo from the forest.

First, they saw the glow of flames and then a shifting in the shadows. In an instant, a horde of riders burst from the edge of the trees wielding torches and swords. Kakashi quickly counted sixteen. They howled as they came flying down the 's hands immediately moved: Bird - Hare - Snake.

"Go!" she barked, and Kakashi took off running just as the line of bamboo rods split and grew into a wide wooden fence, corralling the bandits in. They shouted furiously as their horses came to a halt. Just as they began to turn around, Kakashi hurtled over the wall.

As he descended, he slammed his arms into the necks of two men, throwing them to the ground. As they gargled for breath, he threw a series of shuriken at another, sending him flying back into the dirt. The others screamed and began to stampede in the chaos, breaking through the fence. Kakashi grabbed one from his horse as they stumbled past him, and he leapt onto the horse's back, following the stampede.

"Aki, stop them!" he shouted, spotting the chuunin sprinting towards them. Her hands went through another series of seals, and roots burst from the ground, pulling the man closest to her from his horse. She braced herself as another came galloping for her. Just as she had during all of their training sessions, she did not yield to his massive form. Kakashi's breath caught as the horse slammed into her with his shoulder and she went flying backward. Taking the energy of the impact, she rolled back and grabbed quickly onto the horse's tail. It screeched with pain as her arm extended like vines and wrestled it to the ground.

Kakashi couldn't shout for her to stop. The men were fast and were now in a frenzy at seeing their comrades fall to a child. Kakashi acted fast: Snake - Monkey - Bird - Snake. Lightning sparked at his hands and surged forward, two men screamed as the roaring hound seized them. They fell from their horses shrieking and writhing in pain, sparks flying from their mouths. Kakashi continued onward.

Aki had incapacitated another man and was now fighting another on the ground, his horse sprinting away. In the distance, five men were running into the village.

"Aki!" he shouted. She scowled and dipped low only to swing her foot up into the man's chin. He fell backward and did not move. He met her as she turned to sprint after the others.

They split in the center of the village. Three men were ahead of Kakashi near the edge of the lake, pulling villagers from their houses. Screams began to echo through the night as one of the men dragged a woman out by her hair. Kakashi leapt through the air and slammed the bandit to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The other two were a few houses ahead.

He extended one hand and formed the Water seal with the other. Icy pellets shot from his palm in quick succession like bullets, piercing the men through the ankles. They screamed with pain, falling to the ground. Kakashi knocked both out with punches to the neck. The villagers who had been pulled outside gasped as he stood.

"Tie them up. Don't let them out of your sight," he barked, tearing off for the other side of the village. The men scrambled for rope to hold the bandits as Kakashi sprinted away.

Why couldn't he find her? Suddenly, the village felt much larger than before. Sweat was falling into his eyes. He leapt up onto the roofs and sprinted east, looking over the grid of thatched roofs. In the distance, he saw the swing of a blade, followed by a scream. He cursed under his breath and hoped he wasn't too late.

The largest man in the gang had somehow slipped from Kakashi's notice, for he was on the far edge of the village fighting Aki, battle axe in hand. There was a dark glint at Aki's cheek where she had obviously been hit hard, but she was still moving quickly. Noting that she could protect herself for a few minutes longer, he leapt off the roof for the last bandit, who was pillaging the village granary. The man spun, arms full of rice, and paled as he saw Kakashi approach. He did not put up a fight as Kakashi grabbed him by the neck to throw him out of the warehouse.

There was only the large man left. Kakashi turned the corner to see Aki jumping and dodging the bandit's labored swings. His breath was coming hard now, his face red with sweat. Aki only needed to keep moving, and the man would fall on his own.

But there was a specific expression on her face, one Kakashi had become familiar with in the past month. Her teeth were bared, eyes wide and furious. As one more swing missed, Aki shot forward and landed a cracking kick to the man's temple. He gasped with pain and fell to his knees. She punched him straight in the face. Blood oozed from his nose as he fell back onto his elbows, still conscious but incapacitated.

Kakashi opened his mouth to call to her, but she let out a snarl as she jumped on top of the man. Just as she had in the Chuunin Exams, she slammed her knees into her opponent's chest and screamed. Her fist cracked against his cheek as it came down.

"Aki, stop!" shouted Kakashi, running forward. She either ignored him or couldn't hear him in her rage, for her other fist came down as well. Kakashi's head pounded as the man groaned through his own blood. "Aki!"

Aki looked up, eyes wide, to see her wrist caught in a painful grasp. Kakashi's heart raced as he saw the bloody face beneath her, and he pulled her back roughly. She let out a small gasp of pain as he yanked her away from the unconscious man on the ground.

"I told you to stop," he hissed.

His face felt as if it were on fire as he pulled Aki away. The villagers immediately rushed forward to apprehend the bandit, but Kakashi was nearly deaf with anger as he shoved Aki behind the nearest house. She gasped with shock as he put his face close to hers.

"What did I say to you explicitly before we started the mission?"

For a moment, the girl gaped, mouth moving wordlessly. Then, her eyes narrowed and she went rigid like stone. Blood splatter dotted her face.

"Sandaime told us to eliminate the target," she snapped.

"We do not kill or torture opponents unless absolutely necessary," said Kakashi lowly.

"He killed people!"

"And will killing him bring them back? When your team leader gives you a command, you do not disobey it without reason."

"My leader is the Hokage," she seethed.

"And the Hokage's authority goes through me." He released Aki's arm and stood up, looming over her. "If you disobey my orders again, I will see to it that you're demoted, do you understand? You're not talented enough to be irreplaceable. Konoha doesn't need indiscriminate killers to protect it. "

With that, he turned and walked back to the villagers. The bloodied bandit was not restrained with ropes but still unconscious on the ground. The couple Aki had captured still remained tied and tangled up in her roots, and the majority Kakashi had incapacitated were tied to the large post of the shop nearby. He took a deep breath and exhaled, willing the heat in his blood to dissipate before speaking. The woman who had been pulled from her house was weeping into her husband's shoulder. The chief walked through the town with a grave expression.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"I think everyone is accounted for," said Atsuko.

"Good. Let's get the prisoners in a cell and then we can talk about our next steps." Kakashi frowned at the frightened looks the villagers shot him and remembered the blood on his hands. He grimaced. "First, could I burden you for a towel?"

Atsuko nodded and guided him back towards her house as the men gathered up the bandits. As Kakashi helped up some of the injured men, he shot a glance towards Aki. She stood at the edge of the western forest with her back to them.

"Is your student okay?" asked the chief quietly.

"She's fine. She'll join us when she's ready," said Kakashi with a small sigh.

"How old is she?" The woman eyed her with a wary glance.

"Eleven."

The woman nodded thoughtfully and then said, "She has some frightening power. I dread to see her strength once she reaches jonin level."

Kakashi shrugged and started back with her. "We'll see if she makes it to that point," he murmured.

…

…

The rest of the night was quiet, as most nights in this tiny village probably were. After Kakashi wiped the blood and sweat from his arms, he rejoined the men outside in gathering up the bandits and handing out supplies to the injured. The remains of Aki's jutsu would be gathered up and cut down in the morning for kiln, and the houses would be patched later. In the heat, the draft from the broken walls was not unwelcome.

He did not go with the men into the forest, but he saw them return with the body. The woman the bandits took was beyond saving, and the relief the village felt was replaced with sadness. Kakashi respectfully bowed away from their mourning and retreated into the small but comfortable room the chief had provided them. It was only a few hours till dawn when Aki stepped into the room.

He was relieved to see that she had not been crying, but the hostility he had grown accustomed to was suspiciously absent. His anger still emerged.

"Have a good walk?" he asked sourly. When she did not answer, he said, "I let you walk off today because it was your first mission, but your duties include helping clean up the loose ends. The next time, you'll stay behind to do that. Is that clear?"

He expected her to walk by him without listening, but though she still did not meet his gaze, she nodded silently. Kakashi noted the dried blood on her clenched fists and the large bruise covering the left side of her face. He sighed.

"Come here." He waved her over and spilled some water onto a small towel. She frowned as he reached forward to grab her hands, and though her immediate reaction was to pull away, she did not fight him after the first jerk of her arms. The blood wiped away in red and brown smears. Her little palms were hard with calluses, and tiny scars marked her fingers. Her mouth twisted as she watched his larger hands on hers but did not resist him. When they were clean, he let them fall.

"You should put some ointment on that black eye before it swells too much." Aki flinched but still didn't move. Kakashi reached into his bag and withdrew the small jar he carried. Extending it to her, he said, "Just slather a bit of it on the area. Be careful of getting it in your eye."

She hesitated but finally accepted the medicine. She did not snatch it from his hand as he'd expected but took it delicately with both hands before moving towards the bed the villagers had arranged for her. She turned away from him before he heard the soft sound of the ceramic turning against itself as she opened the little jar.

The bitter scent of the medical ointment filled the small room as she carefully smeared it on her face. The smell always reminded him of Rin, who had been the one to apply it on him and Obito for so many years. Aki's small shoulder blades moved along her back silently, thin arms yellow and bare in the dim light. Her hair was the same short length as Rin's, and if Kakashi tried hard, he could see Rin there, back in her chuunin days when things had been simpler.

She turned, and in her frustrated profile, Kakashi only saw Aki. As a child, Kakashi frequently thought that Rin wasn't suited for their profession. She was too kind, too gentle. Aki was neither of those things, but as he watched the girl's cheek glisten purple under her bloodied hands, he thought to himself that it was wrong for her to know such violence.

Her shoulders jerked slightly as she considered how to return the jar to him. "Keep it," he said. "I've got others. It's good for cuts too."

 _You'll have plenty_ , he thought to himself. She nodded.

Without removing her sandals or changing her clothes, she slipped beneath the covers and rolled away from him. She did not move for the rest of the night.

…

…

After the pace of the previous three days, the next morning was almost leisurely in its slowness. Kakashi's legs were mildly sore as he stretched in his futon, bumping his hands against the wall behind him. Light spilled in from the small window as he opened his eyes, and he took a deep breath. When he looked over at the other futon, he saw that it had already been neatly rolled. Aki was gone, but her belongings remained. Kakashi took another deep breath before sitting up slowly.

As he stood, he felt the stickiness at his neck, but there was no more moisture in the air. As soon as he pulled his shirt off for a clean one, the agony of the previous night's heat was gone. When he inhaled, his breath wasn't smothering. Still, he noted he could use a jump in the lake. His hair was nearly flat on his head with dried sweat.

"Good morning, sensei," greeted Atsuko as he stepped out of the room. Soup and fish were set out for him on the table, the best meal he'd been given in several days. He sat down quietly at her table as she boiled water and pulled down his mask to eat quickly. "Aki-san has been busy this morning while you slept," she added over her shoulder. Kakashi arched a brow.

"She hasn't been giving you any trouble, has she?"

"Not at all. She gathered up all that wood you two used last night and chopped it up for kiln before the farmers even got a chance to gather their tools. I believe she's helping the fishermen now."

Kakashi stopped, mouth full. He swallowed too much too quickly and choked a bit on the soup and the old woman's words. He craned his neck to see out the window but there was only the bustle of the village. Shoving the rest of the food into his mouth, he pulled his mask back up and stood.

"Thank you for the meal."

"She should be on the lake," said Atsuko knowingly, waving him off. He bowed and jogged for the water.

He heard the shouts of the fishermen before he saw them. Rounding a corner, he finally caught sight of the lake. The bright morning sun glowed hot on the water, the fishermen standing in their boats against the sky. In the distance, he saw a little silhouette on one of the boats.

"Kakashi-sensei, good morning!"

"Staying long, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi nodded to and greeted the villagers he'd seen the night before. Despite the despair in the darkness, the world was light again, and each villager he saw smiled. In a place like this, time was a luxury, and grief had to be brief. There was work to be done, no matter what had been lost, and as Kakashi approached the lake, he let himself breathe just a little more deeply than usual.

He understood now why the village was called Tsurui. Hundreds of red-headed cranes stood at the edge of the lake, cawing and bickering over fish and reeds. Standing tall on black legs, their white wings stretched and bristled in the water. A few even stood fearlessly on the nose of the boats, pestering the fishermen for treats.

And like a crane, Aki stood at the end of one of the boats. Her short hair rustled in the wind, legs sturdy. Her hands came up in the Dog seal, and the water burst upward. Fish came raining down into the boats around her, and the fishermen laughed and danced as they snatched up the bounty. Kakashi watched in awe as the girl turned and reached down to also pile the flopping fish into their nets. He smiled as one particularly vigorous fish slapped her in the face with its tail before diving back into the water. The fishermen laughed at her distress.

Finally, one of the men noticed him at the water's edge and pointed. Aki looked over with surprise and hesitation before leaping over the lip of the boat. The men shouted with shock as she walked over the surface of the water towards Kakashi.

Her black eye was more prominent in the daylight than it had been in the dark, but her face somehow looked a little clearer. When her feet hit the soil in front of him, she shifted awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. He smiled and took pity.

"Atsuko-san says you've had a productive morning," he said. She scowled, but it was softer than the one she usually gave him.

"You were sleeping so long. I got bored," she said stiffly. His smile deepened.

"How many fish did you catch?" She shrugged.

"A lot, I guess."

"Do you want to stay another day?" She shook her head.

"I want to go home." She hazarded a quick glance up at him before looking away again. He wondered if he were imagining the flush on her cheeks. "Can we take our time though on the way back? It's so quiet out here. It'll take some getting used to back in the city."

Kakashi was surprised again at her small request, but he couldn't comment. The men on the water shouted her name, and she turned and waved awkwardly.

"Aki-chan, are you leaving?" shouted one. She seemed to bristle at the diminutive honorific.

"Don't call me that!" she shouted back. The men laughed at her reddened cheeks. Panic filled her face, unable to process the situation.

"She's needed in Konoha!" said Kakashi.

The men beamed and stood at attention, fish flopping at their feet. In a single motion, they all bowed deeply. Aki's mouth opened but nothing came out. Kakashi smiled down at her.

"You will always be welcome here." They turned to see Atsuko smiling up at them. Her gray hair glinted in the sun. "We are a humble people with little to offer, but the shinobi of Konoha will always have a place here if they wish for it."

"You are very generous," said Kakashi bowing. Aki bowed even lower.

"It is the least we can offer to the ones who saved our village." Atsuko also bowed low. She smiled as she rose. "Aki-san, if you don't mind me saying, you've left quite an impression on the men here. I'm sure they'll miss your help on the lake tomorrow morning."

Aki's face burned deep red. Kakashi grunted with surprise as she buried her head in his back. Atsuko laughed.

Their goodbyes were slow as the villagers stopped them continually on the road to offer their personal thanks, and the fishermen shouted their goodbyes from the water. By the time they managed to step into the forest once more, the sun was high in the sky and Aki had a bag full of mochi and dried fish. She let out a large sigh as the trees finally blotted out the sky.

"Tired already?" asked Kakashi.

"That was so much talking," she mumbled. He smiled.

"Usually we don't have to talk that much."

"That's good to know. I'm exhausted."

"Maybe next time I'll make you do all the talking. Think of it as training."

The proposal earned him a glare, but he just laughed and continued on ahead. She hurried after him, scowling the rest of the way, but as he promised, they kept any easy pace back home. That night, she took up the first watch without him asking. He slept easy.

* * *

 **A/N:**

*Tsurui is based on a real village in Hokkaido known for its population of rare red-crowned cranes. Aki's comment about milking cows also alludes to the real Tsurui's cow farms. Cranes are a symbol of good fortune and longevity.

...

...

 **salinagriego:** Thank you for the review! And yes, exactly, she's a huge brat. I think some of that character growth is happening, slowly, slowly. Please stick with me!


	7. Rasengan

**7\. Rasengan**

Upon returning from Tsurui, Kakashi's relationship with Aki probably looked the same as it did before their mission. If Kakashi were to list improvements between them, he likely couldn't name any. They still bickered. She still questioned him at every turn, but there was definitely something different between them. It wasn't closeness. Even respect seemed too flattering, but perhaps there was an understanding. They both knew there was something more in the other than was immediately apparent. It wasn't a typical dynamic, but Kakashi had never had normal relationships and he imagined she hadn't either. It was enough for them.

Similar to the way they fought before, Aki still came at Kakashi as if she were ready to kill him. If anything, she fought with less restraint knowing that he could defend himself, and she yelled at him more often for holding back. They went home sore and sweaty every evening, but it at least culminated in some improvements on her part. If he were honest, he had improved a bit too.

Two months had now passed with only one left to their trial period. He never mentioned it, and he wondered if she even remembered agreeing to it. Truth be told, he still wasn't sure if she would stay with him at the end of the three months, for she still surprised him on a daily basis with her odd opinions and volatile temper, and as he considered the tedious stress of his life in recent days, he wasn't sure if he wanted her to. She was a lot of work, after all.

If there were anything he could pride her in, it was that she was not a lazy student. Though she frequently defied him and ignored his advice, she tried everything at least once (or five times) to find the tricks that worked best for her. Luckily, she took to most things he showed her with relative ease and was fast to incorporate them in their sparring. Other jonin leaders probably had it harder in that regard.

It was late July when he discovered something she did not take to quickly. He would look back on it later on occasion with mixed feelings.

She was furious already when he arrived at the training grounds that day. He smiled as she seethed on large rock in the middle of the field.

"An hour late!" she snapped.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. There was a mishap with my toilet," he said, rubbing at his neck.

"Gross, I don't want to hear that shit!"

"Hey, watch your mouth."

"I'll watch it when you show up on time."

He found he couldn't argue with that. Sighing, he pulled out a small clear balloon from his pocket. She eyed it warily as he stretched it and pulled out a bottle of water to fill the balloon.

"I thought we'd switch it up today. I want to teach you an advanced technique," he said. She frowned as she accepted the balloon, now filled with water.

"Does it involve hitting you with this?"

"Maybe later. Today, you should just focus on moving the water."

She shook the balloon violently and handed it back to him with defiance. He scowled.

"No, you smart ass." Snatching it back from her, he held it out in his palm. She arched a brow as he focused his chakra entirely on the balloon. The water began to spin.

"The purpose of this exercise is to feel the movement of the water in the balloon." Her eyes were glued to the sloshing of the water. "In order to perform this jutsu, you'll need to have precise control over your chakra, rotating it in multiple directions at once. And then-"

She gasped as the balloon exploded, spraying them both with water.

"Once you can do this, we can move onto the next step," he concluded, pulling another balloon from his pocket. She had the decency to look surprised.

After he filled and handed off the second balloon, Aki was unusually quiet. Standing in the field with the balloon in hand, she focused entirely on her task, leaving Kakashi to do whatever he wanted. He chose to take her place on the rock with his well-worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Only the chirping of birds and the occasional grunt of frustration could be heard.

Hours passed, and the sun shifted over the field to high noon. Kakashi shut his book at the growling of his stomach. Aki still stood at the edge of the field, balloon in hand. Her forehead was coated in sweat.

"Take a break! Let's eat!" he shouted.

For a moment, she ignored him. Kakashi sighed as he watched her continue to spin the water in the balloon. He was about to shout again when she gasped and spun around. A victorious grin split across her face as she held out the balloon.

"Hah!" she cried, and chakra shot to her hand. The balloon exploded in a burst, spraying her face with water. Kakashi applauded as she posed triumphantly.

"What do you think of that!" she shouted.

"That was pretty fast," he acknowledged, standing. "Let's eat and then I'll show you the next step." She scowled as she joined him.

"You haven't done anything to earn lunch," she said.

"I worked up a bit of a sweat showing you the balloon trick." He wiggled his arm as if it were sore. She rolled her eyes and sat down in the grass with her bento, pointedly ignoring him. Kakashi did the same.

In the two months that they'd been a team, their eating habits had taken on a strange but easy routine. At the beginning, she'd been irked and bothered by his mask and had gone to great lengths to catch him eating without it. After several weeks of failed attempts, she had given up. Now, she ate with her head down, quick and silent. Kakashi appreciated the peace.

He was still fascinated by what she ate. As a ward of the Hokage, he had expected some beautiful and elaborate bentos, but she hadn't brought anything more extravagant than a croquette. The box itself was plain, and everything in it had a humble handmade feel, leading him to the conclusion that she prepared her meals herself.

"Where'd you learn how to cook?" he asked curiously. Aki's shoulders jerked with surprise as she looked up, mouth full of food. She swallowed it with what looked like a moderate amount of pain.

"What's it to you?" she sputtered.

"I'm just curious. You live alone, right?"

"Yeah, so?" He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not trying to pry. I had to learn how to cook for myself as a kid too. You have a book or something?" She looked slightly embarrassed and picked at her rolled omelette.

"Sandaime-sama's cook taught me," she said stiffly. Kakashi nodded.

"I see. That's good. I had to learn from a book." She shot him a narrow, wary glance.

"You lived alone?" Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, looking up at the sky.

"Both of my parents died before I graduated from the academy, so I had to learn how to cook and all that on my own." He looked down and saw her face was slightly flushed. He frowned. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and shoved the omelette in her mouth, avoiding his gaze. He watched her for a moment before turning back to the sky. She finished her lunch in silence.

Her last odd eating habit was her post-meal ritual. While she didn't seem to eat with any relish or pleasure, Aki always finished her meal down to the last grain of rice. After eating every bite, she wiped her bento clean with a small napkin and packed it away neatly with a handkerchief. For someone who clearly didn't care about the tidiness of her appearance, it was an unusual detail to care about.

"Okay, let's go! Next step!" she demanded, jumping to her feet. Kakashi sighed and stood, following her back to her spot under the tree she seemed to favor. He reached into his pocket and produced a rubber ball. She scowled as he held it out as he did the water balloon.

"Is this a real jutsu or are you messing with me?" she asked.

"It's real. Just follow me on this." Kakashi held it out and focused his chakra. The stiff rubber surface began to undulate as his chakra spun.

And then chakra focused in his other hand. In a series of lightning fast jabs, he pushed a surge of chakra into the spinning ball. Aki yelped as the rubber split and exploded. She gaped as the sound echoed through the field.

"Awesome," she breathed, face stretching into a grin. Kakashi pulled another ball from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Have at it." She snatched it eagerly and turned away, absorbed in the new trick. Instead of returning to the rock, Kakashi leaned against the opposite side of the tree as Aki dove into the second step.

The Rasengan was a challenging jutsu, even for experienced shinobi. It had taken Kakashi himself months to grasp the three steps, and even when he'd been able to manifest it, it'd transformed from his Lightning affinity into something else entirely, the Chidori. Minato had been unable to combine his Wind affinity with the Rasengan before he died, and he was a god among men. Aki's affinity was something he'd never seen before and he could not guess how it would affect her interpretation.

When she threw the ball hard at the back of his head an hour later, he reminded himself that she would have to get past the second step before he started thinking about Wood Rasengan.

"Kakashi!" she barked. "This ball is rigged!" Kakashi sighed, rubbing at the back of his head as he picked the ball up from the ground.

"It's not rigged. You're just not doing it right." Her dislike of his response was blatant.

"I did it exactly like you showed me!"

"Not exactly. You're rushing it." Kakashi held out the ball and started swirling his chakra within it again. Slowly, he brought chakra to his other hand. "The speed is something you'll need in battle, but you're just practicing right now. Take your time." He slowly pushed the chakra into the swirling ball and then repeated the movement at a steady pace. "See? You're not going to achieve that speed right away. Practice the control first and the speed will come after."

Aki gritted her teeth and brought her chakra to the ball again. Her forehead was coated in sweat, and he could see she had already expended much of her chakra. He wasn't sure which exhausted her more, the control or the patience. Her hands moved shakily as she pressed chakra into the swirling ball again and again, and he realized another problem.

"You've lost focus on the ball. You're not retaining the chakra there, so your additive movements aren't building it up," he pointed out.

She was furious with herself. Her hand was beginning to flail again as she lost her patience. More chakra was spilling from the ball, which she realized with a shout of frustration. Kakashi felt a huge surge of chakra from her moving hand as she desperately tried to push energy into the ball.

"Aki, relax."

She didn't hear him. There was an expression in her eyes he had never seen on her before. Her hands moved again, more frantic than before. She thrust another massive amount of chakra into the ball, but it proved too much for her. The spinning chakra released in a burst of energy. Kakashi winced and braced himself, but it hit her hard and sent her flying back. A few meters away, she landed on her back with a painful thud, the ball landing and rolling where she'd left. Struggling up to her feet, he saw her teeth grinding with exhaustion. He caught her by the arm before she could try again. Even her massive chakra store had a limit.

"That's enough. Let's try again another day."

Her mouth pulled wide, eyes glaring at her hands. Her shoulders trembled angrily as she struggled to accept her failure. He imagined that it was the first time she had been unable to accomplish a technique with relative ease.

"What am I missing?"

"You're not missing anything. It's a difficult technique, even for the most powerful shinobi. Even the Fourth Hokage was unable to master it completely," he said. She glared.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying. Who do you think I learned it from?"

Her mouth pulled into a straight line as she stared up at him. She seemed to be scanning over him again, assessing this new information. He wondered if he should have told her that from the beginning. Perhaps she would have respected him a bit more. It was odd that she revered the Hokage title but nothing beneath it, though he supposed her heritage contributed to the quiet respect.

"The Yondaime was your teacher," she realized aloud. To his surprise, her eyes narrowed. "If the Fourth Hokage wasn't even able to do it, why would you try to teach me?" He raised his brows.

"Are you saying you're not up to the challenge? I thought you wanted to be taken seriously." She growled, and he sighed. "Look, I wouldn't have taught you if I thought you couldn't do it, but it's not a technique you can learn overnight. You'll have to keep working at it."

"How long did it take you?"

"Nearly a year. Mine didn't come naturally either, and it ended up turning into a different technique because of my Lightning affinity. Don't rush through your jutsu practice just because you're not getting the exact results you're expecting. If you take your time to really understand it, you may surprise yourself."

"Can I see your alternative technique?"

"Maybe I'll show you another day," said Kakashi. Truth be told, he hadn't used the Chidori since Rin had died, and he certainly didn't want Aki to ever see it.

As she brushed herself off, Kakashi moved back and picked up the rubber ball from the ground. It was the same kind of ball Minato had used to teach him the Rasengan. The hard rubber in his hand brought back memories of the frustration he'd also felt in those first days. A year of training on one technique had seemed like an eternity to him back then. It only now felt like time was moving again.

He glanced back at his student. She'd caught her breath and was making her way to him. She winced a little, more from wounded pride than anything physical. Kakashi almost smiled. She didn't hide the frustration from her face.

"Be patient. It's a challenging jutsu, but it'll come with time."

"In a year?"

"Maybe. You accomplished much more today than I thought you would, so maybe less than that."

She nodded and seemed to accept this. He pocketed the ball.

"I can't keep it?" she asked.

"Knowing you, you'll try it out at home and blow up the entire building, so no, I think I'll hold onto it for now."

Her face twitched, and he realized she was trying figure out if she should scowl or smirk. He snorted under his breath and started back towards their things.

"Let's call it a day. Get some sleep and we'll pick it back up tomorrow."

For once, she didn't fight him. Her movements were sluggish as she picked up her bento, eyes in a daze. She had certainly given the day her all. He didn't offer to help her home as Minato had for Kakashi, but he imagined if he did, she'd reject the offer just as he had turned Minato away. They parted in the middle of the village as they always did, though he lingered a bit and glanced back to make sure her gait was steady. As he walked home, he thought about Aki cooking in her apartment alone, using the recipes the Hokage's cook had taught her.

He looked up into the sky. August, the hottest month of the year in Konoha, was in full swing. Summer wasn't over yet, but soon, the forests the First Hokage had grown through the Land of Fire would shift from green to yellow. When autumn came, his agreement with Aki would be over, and he still could not be sure how it would conclude.


	8. Sharingan

**8\. Sharingan**

In a small forest somewhere on the edge of Iwagakure, there was the sound of footsteps. Almost imperceptible, they were fast, unyielding. From the ground and then to the tops of the trees, even the birds did not dare impede them. Two dark silhouettes rushed against the night sky. Hatake Kakashi's heart raced as he jumped into one last tree and then leapt from the top, hurdling down into the forest

The shadows were deep and black. Nearly no light reached the forest floor as the sun started to dip below the horizon. His feet hit the ground quietly, and he stood, wiping the sweat from his temple. As he turned another figure dropped down beside him. His student Arata Aki stared up at him, eyes glowing in the red evening light. Her quiet panting broke through the silence.

"Let's make camp here for the night," he said.

"I can keep going." He could tell from her hoarse voice that her throat was dry.

"I know, but it'll be late by the time we reach the village if we keep going now. We'll spend the night here and start up again before dawn." Her eyes narrowed but she nodded and pulled the bag from her back to start settling down. Kakashi was grateful that she did not argue further. It was already dark, but the July evening still had not cooled. Kakashi wiped at his brow as Aki cleared the area of brush with a sweep of her arms. The broken branches and bushes scattered into a clear circle, large enough for them to rest. Kakashi sat down gratefully.

It was their fourth mission together now. Kakashi couldn't say that he felt comfortable with Aki yet, but they had begun to find a wordless rhythm. Aki always set up camp while Kakashi took the first watch. After they completed their mission, the roles would reverse on the way back home. They rarely spoke beyond what was necessary to complete the mission, but at least while they were on the job, Aki's bite was duller. She was learning.

Though they hadn't experienced any battles as difficult as their first together, the subsequent two missions had provided opportunities for Kakashi to watch Aki fight in real scenarios. Her style was wild, unrestrained. She wasted energy with extraneous moves, but she seemed to have an endless fountain of chakra as the Senju bloodline promised. If he could teach her better control over her innate abilities, she could be an unstoppable force. Unfortunately, the control she showed in their Rasengan training at home did not translate to the battlefield.

Now, they were on their first B-rank mission, an opportunity for Aki to test that supply of chakra again. Unlike their first mission, this was not against bandits. They were hunting shinobi.

It had been a long time since Kakashi had fought Iwa shinobi, but the thought of the Hidden Stone Village always made his pulse quicken. He'd faced many of their ninja during the war and had lost Obito during a battle with them at Kannabi Bridge. Though they'd been left decimated at the end of the war, there were whispers that they were beginning to rebuild with the intention of taking on Konoha and Suna once more. Kakashi couldn't allow that.

They were to travel through Kusagakure to investigate the construction of a new dam on the border between Kusa and Iwa and then return to Konoha to report. It was a simple mission, non-combat. Perhaps the most they'd have to do is talk to a few people in the area. Kakashi hoped that simple worked out for him for once.

The area around the Village Hidden in Grass was unfortunately not conducive to espionage. Its forests were sparse and spread out. The land was mostly flat. Konoha shinobi were most comfortable hidden among trees, leaving Kakashi and Aki on an inefficient route to Iwa. He reasoned that it was better to be slow and safe than left vulnerable in the open, and as strong as Aki was, she was best suited to the forests of her heritage.

Now at the end of their third day on the road, the trees were beginning to thin and Aki was growing restless. If he were honest, Kakashi was also beginning to ache for a bath and wish for sight of at least a hill or two. The flatness of the land around them was jarring. He hoped they at least came across a river soon to rinse off.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Aki quietly. They didn't need a fire while they had food stocked, leaving them in the dark. Aki's face loomed in the shadows.

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "How much longer till we get there?"

"If we leave at dawn, we'll probably arrive around noon."

"How long are we staying?"

"I'd think a few days. We need enough time to search through the town and get a sense of who's coming and going. We shouldn't stay too long though or we'll be noticed."

"Don't we have Kusa allies? Why aren't they doing this?" she asked.

"We have a good relationship with them, but sometimes the way to get something done well is to do it yourself." She nodded thoughtfully.

"What're Kusa shinobi like?"

"I don't know many, so I can't say much about their individuals, but the village is diplomatically savvy. They've managed to avoid significant direct conflict for many years and tend to ally themselves with the winning side in battles. During the last war though, they were taken over by Iwa and used as a front and paid a significant price for it."

"So Iwa was stronger?"

"They were."

"What're they like?"

"Very serious and proud. They tend to use a lot of Earth-based jutsu."

"Are they strong?"

"Every nation has its share of strong shinobi, but Konoha is generally understood as the strongest Hidden Village."

"So we've beaten them."

"We defeated them in the war, yes, but they were winning at a certain point."

"How did we defeat them?" Kakashi's throat tightened as he remembered his part in the war.

"We destroyed a very important bridge near Iwa. After that, they were unable to get supplies and ran out of resources. Yondaime was also responsible for defeating a large part of their army." He omitted the fact that he was the one to destroy the bridge.

Aki looked to perk up with interest. Since Kakashi had mentioned his familiarity with the Fourth Hokage, she had pried him for old memories of his late mentor. A part of him was uncomfortable with the prodding, but even with the little he said, each time he spoke of Minato brought a bit of relief. It was a confirmation of all those lost days. It was a reminder of the things that had gone wrong, and now with the roles reversed, he could see all the things he wished he'd seen before. It made him grateful for the things Minato had done for him.

"Did you fight with the Yondaime in the war?" she asked.

"Yes."

"So you fought Kusa-nin."

"I did."

"I heard the Yondaime killed a thousand of them singlehanded."

"He did," said Kakashi. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and no matter how pleased he was to have her talk, he didn't want to talk about this, not here.

"I think we should change into civilian clothing in the morning so we don't risk being singled out," he said, changing subjects. Her lip curled.

"Normal people don't wear masks, you know."

"I'll wear a medical mask," he joked.

"That's not normal either! Are you going to wear an eyepatch too?"

"I guess I could."

"Why not dress as a pirate while you're at it?"

"Aki, be quiet." When he didn't respond, she smirked triumphantly.

"What, are your feelings hurt? You're the one who-"

She gasped as he threw himself over her. A kunai shot over them and into the tree. Her shocked face was all he saw as the soil exploded around them. A storm of shuriken rained down, followed by three men clad in black. As the dust cleared, two bodies remained in the rubble covered in blades.

But in a puff of smoke, they were gone. Two logs lay in their place. The Iwa nin spun around for the missing Konoha pair. They missed the small form plummeting down on them from above. She landed hard on one of the man's shoulders.

" _Agh!"_

With his face in the dirt, the man's shout was muffled. Aki ground her feet into his back and sank down low before sprinting at the next, kunai glinting in her hands. The second man parried her attack. She leapt back, and he brought the earth up beneath her. Just as she was about to be swallowed by the jutsu, the wave of earth was pierced by a flashing bullet. Light erupted in the darkness as a roaring surge of lightning blinded them.

When the light shrank back, the girl had disappeared into the shadows again. The third Iwa nin stood wincing. Footsteps could be heard sprinting away. They took off after them.

"We have to separate them but keep them in the forest. We have the advantage here," said Kakashi quickly to Aki as they leapt through the trees.

"Why not take them on now?" Kakashi glowered, eyes scanning the ground below.

"I recognize that jutsu they used - Earth Shark Technique. It's fine to engage one-on-one, but it becomes dangerous when there are multiple users." Aki frowned. "I'll try to lead them away, and you attack from behind. Can I trust you to do that?" She nodded, eyes narrowed with excitement.

"Got it!"

As they landed on the next tree, the ground beneath them rumbled. Kakashi looked down just as it collapsed. He grabbed Aki by the arm and jumped hard. They managed to ride the last tree down as it snapped in half.

Just as Kakashi had feared, the ground undulated in waves, taking plants and animals with it. As soon as the trunk under their feet hit the ground, it opened up to swallow them like a massive shark. Kakashi and Aki jumped again with Aki landing in another tree. As Kakashi fell, he threw his hands into a seal. Multiple clones populated the air, and as they landed, they took off running in all directions.

 _Shit_ , he thought. Only one shinobi had pursued him, his earthen wave following him closely. The other two circled Aki in her tree, slamming into it. Aki pulled soil and water from the tree and earth around her but was unable to cut away at the swirling ground attack. Kakashi's throat caught as he saw the frustration growing within her. He could see the seconds ticking until she would resort to Wood Release.

Kakashi spun and skidded to a halt as his three clones came hurtling at the enemy charging at him. One cracked open the earthen shell to reveal the man inside, and Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of his forehead protector - it did not bear the symbol of Iwagakure.

He had no time to think about it, for the man hurled a series of kunai at him before diving back down into the ground. In the time it required Kakashi to dive, the shinobi was attacking him from below again like a beaching whale. Kakashi flipped through the air and pulled his mask up from his eye.

The world came into focus with almost painful clarity as he focused his chakra on his hands. Ice gathered over his arm, piercing through the night as he plummeted down, hand pulled back like a bow. The ground exploded in a crash of frozen ground as Kakashi speared through the Earth Release jutsu and into the man's heart. Kakashi took off running for Aki before the man even fell dead to the ground.

She had held off the two enemies admirably, but Kakashi could see the fatigue taking its toll on her. Her chakra was wildfire, movements erratic. Her teeth were bared furiously as she ducked and danced between the circling shinobi, cutting away at their earthen armor and piercing through at a few moments, but she could not keep up with them both. She let out a pained cry as one opened up into a gaping mouth and clamped down on her leg. Anger erupted in her face, and Kakashi knew he was too late.

The man screamed as a root burst from the ground like a stalagmite, piercing him through the leg. The other mound stopped, and his encasement opened to reveal the shocked man within.

"Wood Release?" he gasped. Kakashi sprinted straight for him and let his arm begin to spark. His face burned with disgust as he realized he had to resort to the jutsu he hated most. The enemy shinobi jumped and tried to cover himself once more, but Kakashi jabbed his hand through the opening just as it closed around his arm. The jutsu exploded into a mound of dirt and blood.

There was a furious shriek behind him. Kakashi spun as he saw the man now pulled from his shell, clashing with Aki in mid-range. The trees around them had seemingly come to life, slamming their branches down like fists in a brutal attack on the last enemy. Aki moved between the trees as they flailed, landing hits against the man as he struggle to dodge from the hostile forest. Kakashi nearly sighed with relief until he saw the man still and bring his hands together into the Tiger seal.

It was not earth or stone that burst between them but fire. The night erupted with flames, and all Kakashi could hear was Aki's shout as she recoiled. The enemy shinobi leapt through the fire to grab her by the throat, and Kakashi's Sharingan slowed time to an agonizing trickle so that he could watch the sticky arc of her body as it was thrown hard into a distant tree. The crack of the collision echoed through the forest.

Anger - pure, unseeing anger filled Kakashi's every pore as he saw Aki's body fall limp to the ground. Her attacker's triumph was felt only for a few seconds. That tiny window was insignificant for the average shinobi, but it was all Kakashi required to bring his fist straight into the man's face. He snapped the man's neck before he could even gasp with pain.

Kakashi stood and realized dumbly that the grating sound in his ears was his own grinding teeth. Blood coated his arms and flak jacket. He tried to wipe some of it away on the dead man's clothes to little avail. Pulling the mask down from the deceased's face, Kakashi thought something about him looked familiar though he couldn't place it. After memorizing the man's face, he took the forehead protector and slipped it into his pocket. He'd get the others later.

Turning, he noted with relief that Aki was sitting up, though still on her knees. She spit a bit of blood into the dirt, hand up to support herself against the tree she'd been thrown into just moments before. There looked to be a shiny burn at her forehead and hands from the fire, but otherwise, the rest of her injuries looked to be a collection of bruises and minor scratches. She took a deep, shaking breath to steady herself, wincing with pain as Kakashi approached. He smiled as she looked up. He didn't expect her eyes to widen at the sight of him.

Her mouth moved for a moment, searching for words but coming up empty. Kakashi stopped as she reached for the tree with a jerky hand. Her eyes were glued to his face as she steadied herself against the trunk. She surprised him again when she produced a kunai from her back and threw it at his face. His Sharingan watched it soar by his head in slow motion. When he turned back, she was flying at him with a newly manifested spear in hand.

"Wait! What's-"

Kakashi grunted and dodged as she threw the spear at his chest. He spun around her and grabbed at her wrist. She spun into his grasp and punched him hard in the gut. He gasped but didn't let go, holding her thrashing form against his chest.

"Aki, stop! What are you doing?" he barked. She snarled and slammed her head hard against his nose. Though she didn't land the hit, he had to let go, and she jumped away from him, stanced ready for attack again. As Kakashi took a step towards her, she threw her hands wildly, sending roots up to block him out like a cage.

"Get away from me!" she screamed. Kakashi froze at the flash of chakra around her. She looked as if she were on fire and could burn him away in an instant.

"Aki, please stop! What's-" He paused as he realized her eyes were glued to his - on his Sharingan. His hand rose instinctively to hide it, even as she leapt at him again. He deflected and pushed her back once more. He looked back at her and saw she had armed herself with another sharpened spear. He put his hands up.

"Aki, let me explain-"

" _You're an Uchiha!_ " she screamed. Her teeth and gums were bared. She was the snarling dog in the Chuunin Exam ring once again. "You _liar_!"

"Aki, stop!" He reached forward to calm her but had to leap back as she slashed at him with frantic hands. A line of spears shot up from the ground, driving him backwards. She grabbed hold of one and hurled it at him like a javelin through her self-made cage. He dodged, and it pierced the tree behind him hard enough to crack the trunk up its length. She reached for another, and Kakashi took off at full speed to leap over the barrier and grab her by the arm before she could even release the next attack. She gasped as he pinned her back against the tree behind her. He hated the way she cried out as she hit the trunk.

"Aki!" he barked.

She froze in place, eyes wide. Kakashi's throat burned as he finally saw it. She was terrified.

It was an expression he'd seen countless times. How many lives he had taken over the years, he couldn't be sure, but never had he expected to see such a face on her. He loosened his hold just slightly and brought his face down close to hers so that she could see the Sharingan. He saw his red eye reflected back in hers. It was cruel, but he didn't want her to cower away from his burden. Neither of them dared to breathe.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Aki. I'll never hurt you," he finally said softly. She winced and looked away, but he shook her to bring her gaze back up. "It's just me, Aki - stupid, lazy Kakashi. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Don't touch me!" she sobbed, freezing again as he placed his palm on her shoulder.

"Look at me. Look, I only have one Sharingan," he said. He could see her struggle to reject the fact. "I didn't mean to keep it from you. You have to believe me."

"Then why...?" Her voice was a whimper. He never thought he could hate the sound so much.

"It was given to me."

"Liar!"

Kakashi took hold of her shoulders, and in her trembling shoulders, he could feel the delicate bones, the frailty. She was the rabid animal he'd tempted to tame. She was the crying child in the Hokage's care. As Kakashi's Sharingan scanned over the shaking girl in his grasp, he didn't see jutsu or chakra. The world around him seemed to keep moving, but his heart slowed. He saw her.

"You asked me earlier about the Yondaime - about the war and Kusagakure," he said quietly. All he could hear in the forest was the harshness of her fear. "I received this eye during my first mission as a team leader, there in Kusa. It was given to me from my teammate when I was just a little older than you are now. His name was Uchiha Obito."

Aki's mouth trembled as she heard Obito's name. Kakashi loosened his grip so that air slipped between his hand and her shoulders. She didn't lash out at him again.

He had never said it aloud, never had to. When Obito had died, Rin and Minato had been there to explain the new scar on his face, the eye that wasn't his. Rin had made sure that all of their colleagues knew not to address it with him, and after she died too, he didn't care if anyone understood. Most shinobi considered it a priceless gift to be given a Sharingan. Kakashi only thought of it as a burden, a symbol of his past arrogance and failures.

"When I was fourteen just before the war, I was promoted to jonin. My team leader was Namikaze Minato. While he was fighting on the front lines, he named me as acting-captain for our team." His chest hurt a little to say Minato's name aloud. He could see her piecing the story together. "Our medic-nin was a girl named Nohara Rin. The other was Uchiha Obito. They were my best friends.

"That bridge I told you about earlier that won us the war - that was the Kannabi Bridge, and we were the ones to destroy it." Aki's mouth fell open as she finally understood who he was. "It was supposed to be a simple mission - get in, get out - but the enemy showed up and took us by surprise, much like tonight. I lost my left eye, and Obito got caught beneath the rubble trying to save us. Before he died, he asked Rin to replace my eye with his." He rubbed at it, suddenly aching. He let her look at it a second longer and then pulled the mask down over it once more. Aki looked like she could burst into tears. "That's how I got the Sharingan. I didn't trick you."

He had long let go of her, but Aki remained pressed up against the tree. She was no longer looking for his cursed eye, but she couldn't seem to look away. His hand twitched. Would she reject him if he reached out to her? Hesitantly, he lifted his hand to her shoulder once more. She winced but did not push him away.

"The Uchiha aren't going to find you, Aki. No one is going to know. I promise," he whispered. Her mouth pulled tightly into a severe line.

"You knew about me all along, didn't you?" she murmured, head bowing. "He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone. He promised no one would know." Kakashi's throat tightened, realizing he'd revealed himself. His grip tightened.

"He told me so that I could protect you," he whispered, "so that I would know what to do if the worst happened. No one else will ever know."

"He lied to me," she hissed.

"He did it to protect you," insisted Kakashi. "Imagine if something happened. Isn't it better that I know? What if I didn't and someone really came after you?"

She sniffled and wiped at her face. With her head bowed and shoulders trembling, she looked like the young girl she was, not the hardened fighter she'd tried to be. Kakashi sank to his knees in front of her. She made no effort to hide the fear in her face as she met his gaze. Her limbs were rigid, ready to snap at him at any moment.

"I know how hard it is being alone, but you don't need to be scared anymore," he said. She flinched.

"What would you know about that?" she hissed. He bowed his head with humility.

"I can't claim to understand all that you've been through up to this point. I'm sure your life has been exhausting, always wondering who you can trust, if there's someone out to get you," he said softly. She froze at his words. "But I know what it's like to lose everyone you hold dear. I know what it's like to bury yourself away so no one can hurt you again."

For another few moments, she scanned over him, and he felt as if those red eyes could see into his darkest depths. Perhaps even she didn't realize it, but slowly, her mouth loosened.

"Did Sandaime tell you all of that too?" she mumbled. Bitterness still laced through her voice.

Kakashi paused thoughtfully for a moment, considering the ways she could respond. He wondered if she would react angrily if she knew how much he thought about her. Even he was surprised at how much he needed her to stay with him.

"He told me what happened to your family, but the rest-" he said. He looked straight into her face. "Sharingan or no, I can see it in you."

That look of desperation he'd seen in the training fields washed over her again. Kakashi turned away from her, unsure of how to react. He looked around at the destroyed forest around them, the hills of broken earth. They had run a good distance away from their camp. She didn't follow right away as he started back to where their belongings remained, and when he glanced back, he saw her placing her hands on the damaged trees in their path. The cracked wood mended itself and the snapped trunks lengthened upward, determined to grow again. The girl who loved the trees followed silently after him at her own pace.

Luckily, the tree Aki had hidden their bags away in had remained untouched during the fight. Though the camp had been unleveled, she was able to pull their belongings from the trunk without issue. They remade camp a small distance away. Aki pulled her dirty blanket from the rubble and tucked herself in, only to stare up at the bits of sky that poked through the treetops. The canopy was more open after the battle waged on the forest. For a long while, she said nothing.

"What happened to the other one - Rin?" came her little voice. Kakashi stared at her profile, wondering if he'd imagined her voice. She made no indication that she'd even spoken.

"She died," he said softly. His hand flexed as it remembered how easy it had been to slice through her, the sad smile on her face as she had disappeared. He'd just used the same attack on those men even though he'd promised to never use it again. He told himself he'd used it to protect Aki. He hoped Rin would forgive him for that, even if she didn't forgive him for anything else.

The night was silent. As he'd hoped, no more enemies attacked through the dark hours. As he sat and looked out into the darkness, Kakashi listened carefully. Through the crackle of the fire, he heard the animals of the night creep and call from the trees. He felt the dew settle on the leaves and musky soil, and though he did not hear anything from Aki after her quiet question, he could smell her tears, trickling steadily to the rhythm of the forest.

...

...

Kakashi didn't sleep that night. Aki fell into a fitful sleep for a few hours, and in the silence, Kakashi got up carefully to gather the dead bodies of the enemy shinobi. He threw them in a hole he dug and lit the bodies on fire, watching until they burned away to nothing but bone. He crushed the remains into a fine powder and buried the rest deep in the ground where even dogs would not find them. When he returned to camp, Aki was still asleep, and the unmarked grave he left behind was unnoticeable. He then sat and waited for dawn.

They continued their mission to the little town on the border, but as Kakashi had suspected, there was no sign of shinobi or Iwagakure. He had no way of confirming it, but he knew deep in his gut that there had never been any Iwa-nin there. The information Konoha had received had been false. He felt the forehead protectors from the foreign nin in his bag like a heavy stone.

Their journey back to the Land of Fire was hurried but quiet. Aki barely said five words to Kakashi in that time, but each time she met his gaze, there was a strange weight held between them. The angle to her narrowed eyes was different. Her mouth wasn't held so tightly. She didn't recoil when Kakashi accidentally brushed up against her arm while cleaning up camp after their last night on the road.

When they returned to Konoha, she gave him that strange expression again, and though she couldn't see beneath his mask, his invisible smile seemed to calm her. They parted with barely a word, and Kakashi reported to the Hokage alone, placing the three forehead protectors on his desk. They did not bear the sign of Iwagakure but a strange insignia neither of them recognized. A deep sense of dread filled the Hokage's gut as he stared at them hours after Kakashi had gone.

A new Hidden Village was recruiting shinobi and sending them out to ambush representatives of other lands. Sarutobi Hiruzen watched as a bird flew towards the horizon. Attached to its ankle was a small piece of paper. On it was the mysterious symbol and a single word: _Plan_. Sarutobi did not know when the message would reach his former student, but he hoped the bird returned soon with news. If his suspicions were correct, they would be seeing more of these shinobi again, sooner than they'd like.


	9. Power of Youth

**9\. Power of Youth**

Kakashi woke silently with a blink of his eyes, as simply as if he'd just opened his eyes after a long thought. The sun hit his face softly, the murmurs of the market opening up on the streets below. The sky was a wash of pale blue.

It had been several weeks since he'd had the dream he'd just woken from. The first time he'd had it, he'd woken with so much heaviness in his limbs that he'd simply rolled over and fallen back into the same dream. Recently, he had the dream less and less, and with every blink in the morning thereafter, the weight was not so great. As he stared up at the sky through the window over his bed, Kakashi realized it held as much weight as a fistful of sand. He let the grains slip through his fingers.

He didn't need to look at the calendar as he sat up to know what day it was. He never looked forward to his birthday or even anticipated it, but he always woke knowing when it had come.

Nineteen - he had never considered living this long and certainly not to twenty. Or rather, he hadn't while he'd been in Anbu. Now that he had returned to jonin life, life was not so fast or silent. Eighteen had brought sound and light back into the vacuum that was life after the war. Eighteen's dreams had been scans through his past life, long-suppressed memories re-examined. He did not know what nineteen's dreams would be, but if he allowed himself to believe it, the silhouette of twenty was visible, even if it were still nebulous. He knew that the memory in his dream had pulled the veil away from that unattainable age.

Kakashi had a simple breakfast and spent what was left of his morning on the engawa reading. When the sun was high, he closed his book, pulled on his jonin vest and sandals, and made a steady pace for the cemetery.

It wasn't a ritual most would think of - a birthday cemetery visit. He hadn't even meant to do it the first time, but on his fourteenth birthday, Kakashi had found his feet leading him to the field of memorial stones where he'd sat with Rin until the sun began to dip low. The next year, he'd found himself there again, and the year after. Now, it was just what he did when another year passed.

Kakashi was not surprised to see the black-haired woman waiting at the entrance of the cemetery, but he didn't expect the man beside her. Kurenai Yuhi had traded her kunoichi-wear for a simple dress, perhaps in respect for their friend, while Might Gai still wore the green jumpsuit he had taken to upon promotion to chuunin. She carried a bouquet of blue bellflowers in her arms, and he held a large, bundled bento. They both beamed as he approached.

"A perfect day for a picnic!" declared the green-clad man. He clenched the bento over his head like a trophy. Kakashi sighed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Weren't you listening? We're having a picnic," said Kurenai.

"You didn't need to come out for me."

"Who said it's for you?" said Kurenai with a huff. "We came to see Rin-chan."

She brushed past him for the cemetery. Kakashi shot Gai a dull glare as he chased after Kurenai, prancing into the field. Kakashi followed dutifully.

Nohara Rin's grave was nestled deep in the cemetery, far from the road but as generic as any other gravestone. Kakashi supposed this was appropriate. Rin had always been a good student, but never at the top of the class. She'd been pretty, but not the kind of girl to draw a double take. On paper, there was nothing that would have made her stand out from her peers, and yet Kakashi's memories always revolved around her.

They laid out a large blanket and settled in with their bento. Kurenai pulled out a bottle of sake and insisted they toast to Kakashi's nineteenth year. He accepted their joviality with a sheepish sigh, hoping that no one saw their revelry in the graveyard. Certainly, it would not reflect well on them to outsiders.

They didn't get him a cake or sing any songs for him, and Kakashi was grateful they didn't. Truthfully, he couldn't remember the last time anyone gave him anything beyond the transactions of work, but the consideration Kurenai and Gai showed him was somehow more significant than any gifts. A part of him knew he should say something, but he wasn't sure how to reciprocate or acknowledge their actions after all they had done for him. Thanking them seemed insufficient, and generous gestures made his skin crawl with discomfort.

Still, he wondered if they knew how grateful he was, for he truly was grateful. It was so saccharine that it left him feeling a bit nauseated, but he was grateful each day for their actions, for he didn't have to put on the ANBU mask again. These two had fought the highest powers in the village to ensure he didn't have to, and he knew he'd always be indebted to them for it. Sometimes he felt guilty for never saying so explicitly, but as Gai smashed a particularly large piece of tempura into his mouth, Kakashi felt a little better about keeping his gratitude silent.

"How is your student? Aki-san, right?" asked Kurenai. Kakashi shrugged.

"She's good. We had a hard mission last week, so I told her to take a few days off."

The strange forehead protectors emerged at the back of his mind, the trembling glow of Aki's face in the dark. The saturation of her fear hadn't left him since they'd returned. Her reaction to his knowledge of her identity had been harsher than he'd expected, and though he'd always thought of her as a snarling animal, he saw now that her usual hostility was a barely-held facade to cover the deep-rooted fear she held in her heart. He saw her fear, her desperation. He saw the child who had held her slaughtered family in her arms.

He hadn't seen her since they'd returned to the village and could not anticipate how she would approach him when they met to train in the coming morning. To ignore what they'd shared seemed like a slight to her, but she was the type to close her eyes to the harshness around her, to push it away before it could hurt her. He didn't want to be the next thing she rejected.

"She didn't want to celebrate with you?"

"I didn't tell her." Kurenai frowned disapprovingly. "We're not exactly close, so that sort of thing… it just doesn't happen."

"That's not what I've heard," said Kurenai. She gave Kakashi a sly smile. "Hokage-sama told me just the other day that he spotted you two walking home together through the market. He said he's never seen you look so at ease." Kakashi coughed a bit and cleared his throat.

"That's, uh - I mean, that was a tough day. I didn't want her to collapse in town," said Kakashi. He didn't want to admit it, but the idea of anyone thinking they had a close bond pleased him deeply. If Aki found out that the Hokage was spreading gossip about them, he imagined she would be incensed.

"Don't be so embarrassed, Kakashi! Now is the time to make your affections known!" cried Gai. The way his teeth glinted in the sunlight annoyed Kakashi irrationally. "Your dear student is too shy to declare her admiration for you, so it is your duty as her sensei to set her insecurities at ease! Youth is a delicate flower! Take hold of your friendship and let the bond between you bloom!"

Kurenai and Kakashi ignored him pointedly. Kakashi had a distaste for flower metaphors in general, even when they weren't being used by questionable characters.

"Are you going to apply for jonin rank soon?" Kakashi asked Kurenai.

"Not yet. I think I need some more experience in the field. My taijutsu also needs some work," she said. "I haven't gone on enough A-rank missions to prove I'm capable of holding the position. Maybe in a couple of years I'll be ready."

"I think the Hokage would give you a pass considering his son has declared you his future wife," noted Kakashi. Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. Nepotism is definitely a dealbreaker. Besides, we're not dating."

"Really?" Kakashi arched a brow as she huffed and tried to fight her pinkening cheeks. "Why not?"

"I have more to worry about right now than dating. I want to be promoted in the next couple of years and a relationship will only slow me down," she said sharply. "Besides, Asuma is just joking. We're friends and nothing more."

Kurenai punctuated her statement with a mouthful of inari, indicating the conversation was over. Kakashi wondered at the nature of romantic relationships. They seemed much too complicated, even when things seemed straightforward to everyone else.

For the rest of the afternoon, they talked about nothing important and laughed over stupid things. Kakashi spoke little, but he listened happily to Kurenai and Gai's stories of recent missions and mishaps. Gai himself had been promoted to jonin the year before and was determined to lead his own team soon, which Kakashi found baffling. As he struggled to place Gai's face to Minato's as a team leader, the image was so ludicrous that Kakashi pushed it from his mind completely.

The began to dip, and the afternoon came to an end. After brushing off a challenge to an eating competition from Gai, Kakashi decided that his birthday celebration had come to an end. Kurenai, always the tactful one, noted his silent decision and swiftly gathered up the remains of the picnic, but just as they all stood to leave, she put a hand to his chest.

"You should stick around a little longer," said Kurenai. Kakashi frowned.

"And do what?"

"I don't know. Sit. Think. Talk to Rin-chan."

"I didn't realize you were superstitious," said Kakashi dryly. She glared.

"I'm not talking about that kind of tripe. I just think it'd be good for you, therapeutic." Kakashi's dull stare was unaffected. She shoved his arm. "Just try it, okay?"

There was no room to argue, not when Kurenai got that strange glimmer in her face. She made a grand sweep of her arms, and in a single movement, their entire picnic was packed away. She and Gai grinned, and then took off running for the exit, leaving a bewildered and exasperated Kakashi in their wake. The cemetery now held the silence a cemetery usually had, and Kakashi felt the sudden absence of voices wobbling in his stomach.

Sighing, he glimpsed at Rin's tombstone. It was as sedentary and still as ever. Superstition and spirituality were two of many things Kakashi did not buy into, and talking to a dead person seemed as useless as any other ritual.

But uselessness wasn't always a negative aspect, he reasoned. The books he read were arguably useless. His entire profession was arguably useless. Kurenai wasn't an unreasonable person.

He cleared his throat, feeling especially foolish. Glancing around, he made sure there was no one else there to hear him. Unsure of how Kurenai managed to always push him into uncomfortable scenarios, he sighed.

"What am I even doing?" he muttered to himself.

His eyes scanned over Rin's tombstone. There really was nothing really remarkable about it, not a single indication of what she'd been like alive. A little red face appeared in his mind. If those two girls were any indication, stats and resumes weren't to be trustworthy portraits of a person's abilities. They couldn't be expressed with stone.

"Hi, Rin," he whispered. If he kept his voice quiet, he didn't feel as stupid, and admittedly, it felt good to say her name aloud. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I last came to see you. I've been busy."

He smiled softly as that face appeared in his mind again.

"I returned to jonin rank this past year - in March. It's been an interesting experience. I have a new student now. I know I always said I'd never become a teaching jonin, but I guess a lot of things haven't gone according to plan."

If things had, he probably wouldn't still be alive. Most of the divergences in his life had been the result of someone else's decision. The first had been his father's suicide. The last had been the Hokage's assignment to Aki. The most significant, perhaps, had been Kurenai and Gai's intervention, the one that had pulled him out of ANBU. Obito and Rin herself had made little changes to his day-to-day life before he'd even realized what they were doing. Aki, too, seemed to have wormed her way into his life.

"She's nothing like you, nothing like Obito," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "She's crass and rough in more ways than I can count. She always seems to have dirt on her face. I'm not sure if she's touched a comb in her entire life. But there's something about her. She eats every grain of rice in her bento and mends every damaged tree she sees. I've never seen someone so desperate to live and yet so afraid of everything that entails."

As he spoke, Kakashi realized that the only distraction of Eighteen had been the strange child dropped into his care, and as he moved into Nineteen, he had no idea what the next year would bring. Everything he had come to know in the last three months could end tomorrow. Could he go back to his regular missions? Could he train another student or lead another genin team?

"I don't know what it is exactly. Maybe it's guilt or pity, but I haven't felt a connection to anyone since you and Obito," he continued, breathless. "I'm sorry I never told you while you were actually alive to hear it, but looking at Aki, it's apparent what I could have become if I hadn't had you there to show me what it meant to be cared for. If you hadn't been there, I don't know if I'd still be alive now. I'm sorry I was never able to pay you back for all you did for me."

Kakashi stared down at Rin's name and realized there was little else he had to say. Still, he lingered a few minutes longer, enjoying the warm September afternoon. Soon, it would start to cool in Konoha. He tried to imagine his student bundled in a knot of winter clothes. Did she even have a coat?

His pace back to the village was slow, eyes cast upward to the sky. The sun had started to sink just slightly meaning his birthday was coming to an end. Tomorrow, he and Aki would return to training, and he would have to confront the question of moving forward.

In his heart, he knew that they both recognized the similarities between them. He knew she sensed the understanding they shared, but he could not guarantee that she would accept it. To trust meant to become vulnerable, and vulnerability was something she hardened and shed. Ordering her to stay would make her rebel, but if she sensed any ambivalence, she would walk away before he could out of pride. Directness had been the most effective form of communication between them, but he did not know how to broach the subject with her, for he himself had no idea what his decision was. The possibility of rejection made his stomach twist unpleasantly.

Perhaps this was what it was like when anticipating romantic rejection as well. The idea was almost funny.

The road began to open up again, and as Kakashi reached the edge of the village, he saw the signs of the night markets opening. The chaotic autumn season was beginning, and it could be felt in the merchants' voices, a little louder, a little higher pitched than usual. Kakashi looked around at the people hurrying up and down the street and realized that the speed of his world had begun to fall into rhythm with the rest of the village once again.

He continued down the side streets that still lined the forests on the periphery, holding close to the edge as to avoid the traffic. A few children ran by him, and he noted they were probably only a couple of years younger than Aki. One of the girls whispered something and the entire group burst into a fit of giggles. Kakashi smiled softly. He certainly couldn't imagine Aki participating in such mundanity.

As if she had emerged from his thoughts, Kakashi spotted a black head of hair ahead, stepping onto the road from one of the small paths leading into the forest. Over her shoulder was a small fishing pole. In the other hand was a large bucket. Kakashi picked up his pace as he saw the glimmer of her little arms.

"Aki?"

She jumped with surprise and immediately went red in the face when she realized Kakashi had taken her off guard. The fish in her bucket thrashed at the sudden movement, one even falling out. Aki scrambled for the fish and let out a shout of frustration. When she finally shoved the fish back in, she looked up at Kakashi, wincing. He didn't bother to hide his amusement.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you," he said.

"No, you're not," she retorted. He smiled.

"Did you go fishing?"

"Sharp observation," she scoffed with a scowl. He stepped forward.

"Is that what's for dinner?" He eyed the fish in the bucket. "Trout?"

"Saury."

Kakashi nodded with approval. "I didn't realize you fished for your own ingredients." She looked away, cheeks red. His heart swelled, still not quite believing that he'd stumbled upon her on their one day off. "Do you know how to prepare them?"

"The Tsurui fishermen showed me," she mumbled.

"That was nice of them. Is it fun?"

"I guess," she said with a shrug.

Kakashi waited for her to continue, but she said nothing else. Her eyes were glued to the ground, a scowl pulling at her face with a silent thought. He wondered if she were thinking about her decision. Perhaps it had been weighing on her as well.

A good minute passed. The sound of the little girls nearby broke Aki from her long train of thought, and Kakashi rubbed at the back of his neck, eyeing the road back into town. Aki glanced up at him as if she had something to say but kept her mouth shut. He sighed inwardly.

"Well, it's getting late and we have training tomorrow. Why don't we head home?" he suggested lightly. He made a turn for his own house.

"Kakashi."

He glanced back. She was still looking down at the ground, her mouth pulled into a grimace. He wondered if he had imagined her calling him.

"Yes?"

Her eyes narrowed, as if she were upset he'd heard her. She ground the ball of her foot hard into the dirt, fists clenched on her bucket.

"About our… deal," she mumbled. She still didn't meet his eye. "It ended a week ago - the three months, I mean."

Kakashi nodded but didn't say anything. Her feet seemed determined to drill a hole into the ground. Was she finally going to reject him? He'd thought that he would be relieved to be rid of her, but as he looked at the mud-covered girl, he realized that he couldn't bear for her to leave him. When had he begun to care for her in this way? The Hokage had been right when he'd said they were similar. She was his to care for. He readied himself to fight against her rejection.

"I'm… fine with continuing - you and me," she said finally. Kakashi let out an audible sigh, which seemed to shake her. She jerked into a fighting stance and scowled up at him. "I still don't like you though, okay? If it's not you, then Hokage-sama will put me with some other dumb person, and I just don't want to deal with it. Don't get the wrong idea! Kakashi, stop laughing!"

He couldn't help it. He didn't laugh at the expression on her face or their bizarre relationship (though he supposed those were funny). He laughed with relief, at his own foolishness. He hadn't imagined the ties between them. They still held firm.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm not laughing at you," he said, steadying himself. He still grinned beneath his mask as she scowled up at him. He nearly expected her to hit him, but she held onto the bucket of fish. Everything about the two of them was ridiculous. The idea that every passerby that saw them thought the same was somehow satisfying. "I'm just happy. I would love to continue with our team, Aki, and I'm glad you want to as well."

"You're laughing at me," she said with a pout. He smiled.

"I'm laughing at myself. Come on. Let's get you home before your fish start to stink up the street."

For the first time, Aki allowed Kakashi to walk her down the busy Konoha streets towards her little apartment near the Hokage's office. He kept his hands in his vest pockets, and she held the bucket of fish to her chest, earning a few curious looks as they made their way through the market. As they approached her building, he only walked her to the corner. She shot him a searching glance before looking up at her apartment thoughtfully, and then she turned with a tiny, sheepish bow of her head. After watching her little form carry her bounty up the stairs to her door, he turned and headed home.

Kakashi thought of the evening sun on the surface of the water where he'd fished as a child. He remembered the flopping fish in his own bucket as he'd walked home alone during his genin days, the delighted looks on Rin and Obito's faces as they ate his cooking. He wondered how Aki would react if she were to eat his food, if he asked to eat hers. He supposed they'd have time to get to things like that eventually. They could take their time.


	10. Student

**10\. Student**

The boy had pushed his luck by remaining in the records building this long, and he still had very little to show for it. Even when he'd been a Konoha nin, he had never been here and hadn't known that mission logs had little personal information about the ninja who executed them, and as his eyes caught no answers, he knew this would have to be the last scroll. Better to give up now and come back later than get caught and pay the price.

The most he'd been able to find was a vague "Team 7," and he was certain that the team logs for concrete personnel files would be in an entirely other place with higher security. Luckily, he'd been able to quietly ask around for where Team 7 practiced - the most distant field on the outskirts of the village, the one past the thickest parts of the forest where the field was completely open. The young shinobi himself had only been there a few times as a legitimate citizen of Konoha and had not seen it since defecting from the village. As he stepped out of the records building for the training field, the shinobi thought to himself this strange chase hardly seemed worth the effort.

Still, there was really nowhere else like Konohagakure. In his many travels, the young man had visited many far away lands and even a handful of Hidden Villages, but none were as affluent or bright as the Hidden Leaf Village. The colors here were more vivid, the voices sharper. Though his days here had been spent on the periphery, they had been sufficient. There were some days when he even missed the village just a little.

The walk to the training grounds was long. Running would draw attention, so he kept his pace steady, even pausing at a few stands in the market to pretend to look at frivolous merchandise. He passed a few genin chatting over hair baubles and wondered if he might have turned out differently by experiencing such mundanity. Such a life was hard to imagine.

Finally, he entered the forest and made his way through at a faster pace until he came out on the other end. Pausing for a moment, there was nothing but silence laced with the faint sound of birds. Had the shinobi in the records building been mistaken? Perhaps Team 7 was on a mission. If they weren't there, he would have to come back again, a huge waste of his time-

" _Hiiyagh!"_

The boy inhaled sharply as the ground shook beneath him. More than the vibration or the voice that cut through the air, the surge of chakra that rippled through him stopped him in his tracks. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt, something wild and powerful. What was this jutsu and just who had performed it? He leapt into a tree on the edge of the forest and looked around quickly. As his eyes focused, his throat tightened with awe.

It was a child, younger even than he. A boy? No, a girl - a small, gangly girl with crudely cut black hair and ill-fitting clothes moved furiously through a series of forms in the center of the field. Her movements lacked finesse, but they were powerful, each strike of her arms and pounding of her feet releasing another wave of chakra.

That chakra - he had never felt a signature like it. He felt it in his bones and gut, something between an earthquake and the crash of the tide.

The analysis came to a halt as the girl stopped mid-stance. Heart pounding, he waited for her to make her next move, but she suddenly stood, head snapping towards him.

"Who's there!" she shouted.

 _Shit_ , he cursed silently. How could he have been spotted already? The boy waited for a moment as he wrestled with his next move, but his thoughts were broken as he shifted his head to narrowly dodge the pair of kunai that drilled into the branch next to his face. Hiding was no longer an option, so he dropped down from the tree. The girl was already moving directly towards him, another kunai in hand.

The face he hadn't been able to see from the distance was young and snarling, but those eyes - he was startled by their intense shade of red.

"Who are you?" she hissed.

"My name's Rei. I'm a genin," he said, hands up with a smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to creep around. I'm on a training exercise with my team but got distracted when I felt your jutsu. It was really impressive." She visibly tensed up, and he knew she was uneasy about being seen.

"It's nothing special," she said stiffly.

"Are you training alone?"

The girl didn't answer right away. Her eyes shifted around warily as if waiting for someone else to jump out and ambush her. He waited patiently until she said, "My teacher is late."

He nodded and put on his best sympathetic face. It only seemed to make her tense up more. "That seems unprofessional. Is he late often?"

She only shrugged her shoulders. He mentally grit his teeth. This was going to be annoying.

"It's just you and your teacher then? You don't have teammates?" he continued.

"I don't need any," she said obstinately.

He decided to humor her. "You must be pretty strong then." She shrugged again. "You're a chuunin then, right? You're pretty young."

"I guess."

"You must've been at the top of your class at the academy though."

"Nope."

The boy sighed inwardly and decided he wasn't going to get anywhere like this. She didn't respond to flattery, so maybe treating her with derision would work. If he could coax her into a fight, he'd be able to experience that onslaught of strange chakra.

"So you got lucky then, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you're not that talented, then you must've passed the exams during an easy year."

"A pass is a pass."

"Some passes are worth more than others."

"What the hell would you know?"

"I wouldn't, but I'm not going to waste my time asking someone who got lucky for advice." He narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe you cheated."

"The hell did you say?" she snarled.

The boy braced himself but the strike didn't come, for a hand grabbed the girl's arm. They both looked up to see a lazy eye staring down at them.

"What have I said about fighting?" said the man holding her. The genin's eyes widened for a second as he recognized the gray hair, the bored voice. The boy didn't need to see the man's face to know Hatake Kakashi.

Memories spun. White masks emerged from dark forests, a flash of blinding light. Hatake Kakashi was here, and the boy knew he needed to put as much distance between them as possible.

"He started it." The girl's voice snapped him back.

"But you know better."

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just been on time!"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, there was an injured dog on the way."

"There's always an injured dog on the way!"

The boy watched the girl bicker with Kakashi, heart racing. It had been years since he'd last seen Kakashi, and despite the racing beat of his heart, putting the infamous ninja together with this strange girl made up for all the effort of this seemingly pointless mission.

"You, kid." The boy stood at attention as Kakashi's focus shifted back to him. There was no glimmer of recognition there, thankfully. "You're a genin?"

"Yes, sir."

"Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Yes, sir. I was on an exercise when I ran into your student-" The boy left his sentence dangling, hoping that either of them would fill in the blank of her name, but they both stared at him, silent.

"What team are you on?" asked Kakashi instead.

"Team 10, sir." This was not the right answer, for the girl's eyes narrowed.

"No, you're not."

"How do you know?" he countered. Kakashi silenced her with a hand to her shoulder before she could retort.

"That's Asuma's team. Are you new?"

"Yes," he lied, cursing himself for the poor choice in cover story. Of all teams to randomly choose, he had chosen the one led by the Hokage's son. "I traded teams from Team 5."

"I see," said Kakashi. His tone was neutral, but the boy knew he had to end the exchange before he slipped again.

"Anyway, I need to head back. I've been gone awhile." Kakashi nodded.

"Hurry back. I'm sure your captain is concerned."

The boy didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest quickly. His feet did not stop until he reached the opposite side of the village, where he curved his path away from Konoha and deep into the woods. His "captain" surely would be interested in what he had discovered. If he kept up the pace, he would be able to report by morning.

...

...

"That guy sucked."

Aki's words rolled over him as Kakashi stared after the boy. He had disappeared into the woods many minutes ago, but something in his gut kept Kakashi's gaze there. The boy's face had been unfamiliar, but something about him sent off an alarm in Kakashi's head, even before the blatant lie about being on Asuma's team. Had he been a member of Root? Wouldn't Kakashi have remembered him then?

Shimura Danzo's face emerged in Kakashi's mind. Though Kakashi had severed his ties with Anbu, he knew that Danzo was still working from the shadows of the village and was always seeking young impressionable followers for his own gains. He had tried to influence Kakashi. He had tried to influence Itachi.

Kakashi's throat tightened at the thought of the young Uchiha. He had not thought of him in many weeks, but now and then, the boy's face would emerge in his mind. Sometimes when he looked at Aki, he thought of Itachi with his red Sharingan and black hair. The Hokage had surely kept Aki's identity a secret from the entire village with the knowledge that Danzo would have less than benevolent intentions for her. Even if she were not controlled enough for Root, her DNA was reason enough for Danzo to want her within his grasp.

He would have to keep a closer eye on her. Reporting this strange interaction to the Hokage also couldn't hurt.

"Kakashi?"

The dark thoughts were broken at the sound of his name. Looking away from the forest finally, he saw the face he had come to know so well staring up at him with a deep frown. The red shade of her eyes was now a comfort instead of the harshness he had once felt. Affection welled up within him, regret. He hadn't been able to save Itachi from despair, but he could do right by this girl.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Come on, let's work on chakra control today," he said.

"Ugh, again? We did that yesterday!" whined Aki.

She whined throughout the exercise, but Kakashi was glad that the practice had yielded even a little bit of improvement in her finesse. She would still require years of training to help control that massive pool of chakra, but Kakashi was certain that he would see it through.

...

...

On the edge of the Land of Fire, a surge of water ran through a deep valley. If one followed the water upstream, they would come to find two men carved from stone facing each other, the river bursting between them from up on high as if the seals their hands formed brought the water forward. As the sun sank below the forest surrounding them, the men's faces fell into shadow, and a boy of about 13 years of age sprinted through the trees, relishing the darkness.

The run had been long. Normally, the boy would have stopped to sleep a few hours to recover his stamina, but he ran the entire length without stopping. Even if he were not being followed, he could not allow himself to rest. Even unrecognizable, Hatake Kakashi had seen his face, and he could not stop until he was safe in his master's domain.

Luckily, the signs of his safety were in sight. The forest was growing shorter but denser with branches that seemed determined to block out any semblances of light. If one were looking for them, they would find little nicks and cuts in the trunks, high in the canopies. The sound of birds softened and softened until the boy could only hear the harshness of his own breath.

Finally, he found the precise tree in the forest - the one that pulled open the ground below with its massive roots. As the shadows came into view, he was able to slow his steps and let his lungs steady. Stepping down into the tunnel, he peeled away the prosthetics on his cheekbones and chin and reached up to his eyes to pull out the colored contacts. He flicked them away before replacing them with a pair of simple glasses. Yakushi Kabuto brushed the hair out of his face just as the door closed behind him, noting that the black dye would not fade for at least a week.

The week away had been more arduous than expected, and as dark and uninviting as the base was, Kabuto felt himself sigh with relief as his eyes adjusted to the shadows. They had barely been there for a year, but it was the longest he'd used any particular location as a "home" of sorts since he had been a child in the Konoha orphanage. He supposed "home" was a strong word, but the base certainly carried a level of comfort. That was really the best he could hope for.

At the end of the long tunnel, a red light glowed, bleeding into the stone walls. Kabuto was greeted at the end with the slender back of a figure hunched over a metal table, his long hair inky and dangling over his face.

"Orochimaru-sama."

The man straightened, unfurling his spine like a serpent and turned his head to peer over his shoulder with a wide smile, his lips thin and pale. That expression was also somehow a form of comfort, at least in its familiarity.

"Kabuto-kun, welcome back. How was your mission?"

"Successful. How have you been adapting while I was away?" The Sannin smiled, his lips a bit too red, jawline unexpectedly delicate.

"Well enough. This body will do for now." His arms stretched wide and pale. "Curse that Uchiha Itachi for putting me through this inconvenience, but this body will be sufficient for the time being."

"Will you need to find another in the near future?"

"We will see. I was hoping to prepare this body more thoroughly so that it would survive longer than the last, but circumstances have prevented that."

"We'll just have to plan better for the next," said Kabuto. Orochimaru smiled.

"Indeed. So tell me about your mission: you found the ones who killed the Stone Trio."

"Yes. Konoha-nin, just as we thought." Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.

"That is unfortunate. I was hoping to remain out of Sarutobi's attention for a while longer. What team did he send?"

"A two-man group - new from what I can tell. Unfortunately, I was forced to make contact and made a mistake in my cover story, so they'll be looking out for me."

"Jonin?"

"Chuunin and jonin. The younger one had some chakra levels I haven't seen before. It's like chakra was spilling out of her." Kabuto paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I didn't put it together at the time, but the signature felt like Kinoe's."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What's her name?" he said.

"I wasn't able to get a name. It took a lot to prying to get any conversation out of her, but she didn't have any of the markers of the well-known clans."

"How old is she?"

"A little younger than I am, maybe 11 or 12."

"Who was her teammate?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

Orochimaru's back lengthened. His eyes glowed in the dim room, yellow and narrow. Kabuto shivered slightly at the intensity of his gaze.

"Kakashi?" echoed the Sannin. "So Sandaime gave Kakashi his own student. How interesting."

"Is that so odd?" Orochimaru smiled.

"The Copycat Ninja of Konoha has never taught a genin or chuunin team, so why now? And why lead only one student? If Sandaime has assigned this girl to him, it was for a specific reason. I'd like you to keep an eye on this no-clan girl."

"Do you want me to look out for anything in particular?"

"See what kinds of jutsu she uses, how much control she has over that chakra of hers." He paused and then added, "I want to know about her relationship with Kakashi as well. That man has been a thorn in my side for too long."

"Yes, sir."

"How did Kakashi look? It's been awhile since we last saw him."

"Same as always. It was odd to see him in jonin-wear."

"Yes, that is curious. Find out when Sarutobi retired him from Anbu as well."

Kabuto nodded, his mind wandering to the strange girl with the unique energy. Yes, her chakra was similar to Orochimaru's failed experiment, Kinoe, but there was something else. It felt deeper, like a wine that had aged longer despite her young age. Just what was it?

"You are preoccupied."

"I can't stop thinking about that girl."

"Oh?" Orochimaru grinned. "I didn't take you for a romantic, Kabuto-kun."

"It's nothing like that," said Kabuto with disdain. He paused thoughtfully. "She looked familiar, but I can't figure out why."

"Perhaps you saw her before we left the village." Kabuto shrugged.

"Maybe," he agreed, though something murmured that there was more to it. He pushed it to the back of his mind. "I think it'd be best if I maintained my distance from them for the time being. I slipped up today, and I can't be careless around Kakashi."

"Yes, that would probably be for the best. Switching your disguise would be wise as well for next time."

"Yes, sir."

Orochimaru smiled with approval and moved towards the corridor leading deeper into the base. "Come. The test subjects need inspecting, and I'm sure you're tired from your mission. We can continue our discussion later."

"Yes, sir."

Kabuto followed his master down, anticipating his bed. Fatigue settled into his bones as he lay down to rest, but his mind would not allow him to slip into sleep. A red scowl played continuously, the earthy pulse of chakra rippling through his limbs. A web of threads began to stretch before him, tying him to Kakashi, to Kinoe, to this nameless girl. Just as the connections began to come into sight, his eyes shuttered, and when he woke, she was a mystery to him once more.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you to everyone who has been reading and especially to those who are reviewing. I really appreciate the time people take to leave me feedback, constructive or not.


	11. New YearComfort

**11\. New Year/Comfort**

For all of the losses he had suffered in his young life, Kakashi lived a mostly calm life. He had been alone for so long that his quiet days of solitude were less of a burden and more mundane. Cooking alone was easier than cooking for two. Daily expenses were cheaper. When he came home after a long mission, there was no one to answer to. All in all, a life of routine was simple.

Holidays overrode routine, and some holidays were more ostentatious than others. Birthdays could be ignored to an extent. Even spring festivals could be avoided, but as much as he would like to ignore the new year, there was little he could do to deny its coming. Lanterns were strung all over the village. Shops began to close. As Kakashi walked down the streets of Konoha, he knew with a resigned sigh that New Year's Eve was upon them.

It wasn't a particularly special holiday, he supposed. An arbitrary date had been selected as the "new year" when it could really be any day. But even if seasons and formalities were soft structures, the memories that marked the new year were unmoving, and so Kakashi found his feet taking him to the cemetery as they were wont to do these days.

When he'd been young, it had mostly been him and his father alone, and his father had done his best to ensure Kakashi's involvement in tradition and community. They'd visit the shrine together and ring in the new year with the village, laughing over fortunes and steaming amazake. The next day, they would open new year mail and watch television together over soba and whatever osechi his father managed to scrounge up. Kakashi smiled softly as he imagined the clumsiness of his father's hands as he struggled to arrange the auspicious food in a decorative manner.

Kakashi sighed quietly as he watched a father and young son walk past him, the boy perched on his father's shoulders. The boy was maybe four years old, beaming with cheeks pink from the cold. His chest aches slightly, noticing with regret that he was closer to the father's age than the boy's.

"Oy, Kakashi."

He turned. Sarutobi Asuma grinned with a small wave. Under his arm was a crate of oranges.

"Asuma. On your way to your dad's?"

"Yup. Got to pay my respects. Where are you headed?"

"Just kind of wandering around. Still figuring it out," lied Kakashi. Asuma undoubtedly would drag him along to his family's home if he knew where Kakashi was going.

The taller man nodded thoughtfully and scanned around Kakashi. He arched a brow at Asuma's glance and Asuma grinned sheepishly again.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if Aki were with you," he said. Kakashi frowned.

"I assumed she'd celebrate the new year with Sandaime."

"She used to, but since she moved out of that house, she only comes to visit my parents when no one else is around," said Asuma with a sigh and rub of his neck.

"I see," said Kakashi, completely understanding why Aki's decision. He would find it suffocating as well. He decided to change the subject. "Are you meeting with Kurenai at the shrine later?"

"Nah, she said she wanted it to be a girls' night tonight," said Asuma, laughing. "I guess I need to wish for more luck in romance this year."

"Keep fighting." Kakashi wasn't sure if he should admire or question Asuma's perseverance.

"You too. Well, I should get to my dad's. Tell Aki I said hi whenever you see her."

The two men continued on in their separate directions, Asuma to the left and Kakashi to the right. As the taller man was swallowed by the crowd, Kakashi considered what he'd said about their mutual student and couldn't help but wonder. They'd discussed little about holiday plans, only that they would resume training after the New Year. Now, he wondered if he should have said something. No, he thought again. She would have rejected him even if he had.

The sun was low on the horizon with the trees' arms black and still in the twilight. As he stepped into the cemetery, he found that it was empty, as was expected. Obon was for the ancestors. The New Year was for the future. Only people stuck in the past would be found here on this evening. Kakashi thought this to himself as he stood before the Memorial Stone and traced over Rin and Obito's names. He apologized to them again quietly as he imagined the way Obito would scold him for being there instead of celebrating in town with the rest of the village.

He continued farther into the cemetery. The red sun glinted off of the gravestones like lights in the darkness. A vast stretch of land made up the cemetery, with the glittering stones stretching out in all directions. There was little to differentiate between the gravestones of the fallen shinobi of Konoha, which seemed disrespectful, but Kakashi didn't need wayfinding devices to know where his father was laid to rest. If he turned up at the 21st stone to the right, and left at the 5th, then that's where-

His feet stopped. A tiny figure knelt before a particularly large plot, head bowed. A thin line of incense trickled up against the red sky, half-empty bucket standing beside it. The stone had been washed, shining with water in the evening sun. Kakashi's throat caught as he saw the little form tremble, unaware.

"Aki?"

Before she even saw him, she was on her feet, arms at the ready. Kakashi immediately put up his hands as he'd become so accustomed to do around her, and she froze as his identity became apparent. For a moment, her muscles slackened, and then tensed again as his eyes trailed down to the plot of land they stood before.

His chest tightened as he read the name inscribed in the freshly washed stone: _Senju_.

Silence filled him like the perfume of the incense she had so delicately arranged until his head swam with pity. There was no anger in her face at being found, but her eyes were wide. He imagined the trembling of her mouth as she'd cowered in the dark forests near Iwagakure, the wilt of her voice. She was ashamed.

It was a grand tomb, as was to be expected of the great original Konoha clan. A few plots away stood massive stones marking the graves of the First and Second Hokage. The three here were modest in comparison, but there was no mistaking the value this family had held. They were the last of their clan, after all.

Thoughts of his father did not disappear as his feet crunched quietly in the grass to approach her. The memories - sad and joyful - stretched through his heart as he knelt beside Aki's parents and brother, and he wondered with great despair at how his father had so willingly left him behind when this sad child's parents had fought so desperately to stay with her. Accomplishments, honor, rank - what did it all matter if the ones they left behind were alone? He placed his hands together and allowed these thoughts to bow his head. How terrible they must have felt to leave this precious child behind to grieve alone.

Quietly, he looked up again to find Aki still standing beside him, head bowed and fists clenched. New Year's Eve alone in the cemetery - such a thing was fine for a man like him who should have died already, but for her, it was unacceptable. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled as he felt her breath tremble in the darkness. It was unjust for the great-granddaughter of the First to be pitying herself over a tombstone when every other family in the village was gathered together and warm.

"Come on," he said quickly, standing to grab her arm before he could even think. A labored gargle escaped from her throat as she choked with surprise.

"What're you doing?"

"We're going to eat." Kakashi hoisted her up to her feet and started towards the exit, even as Aki dug in her heels to resist him.

"I don't want to eat with you!" she snapped.

"Too bad." He secretly was glad to see her tears dry up, even if it were with anger.

The road back to town was long, and Aki fought him the entire way, but the burning incense that had filled his lungs ignited within him something he could not describe. The sun had nearly set entirely by the time they reached the main road, which was filled with the night festival, and his heart raced at the rhythm of the drums in the distance. People hurried up and down the street, either rushing to see their families or enjoying the stalls that had already been set up for the night.

Where could they go? Where was he taking her? He had no idea, but he knew that she couldn't be in that place of mourning on this night. Even staying at home alone was better than that.

Kakashi led Aki through the crowd and onto a familiar street where there was a glowing stand wafting with the aroma of broth. The tension in Aki's shoulders relaxed as the smell washed over her.

Dipping below the entry cloth, light and heat hit their faces. Kakashi pulled Aki in and nudged her to one of the stools. She looked dazed from the sudden onslaught of stimuli. The man behind the counter turned and beamed at the sight of them.

"Happy new year," greeted Kakashi.

"Ah, Kakashi-san! Welcome! Happy new year!" The man beamed at Aki as well, who eyed him distrustfully.

"This is my student Aki," said Kakashi. Aki gave a wary bow of her head. The chef hardly seemed to mind.

"Nice to meet you, Aki-kun. I hope you two are hungry!"

"Very. I'll have the tonkotsu. Aki, what do you want?"

Her answer didn't come right away. Her eyes scanned over the menu on the wall and then the steaming pots and utensils. Finally, she said, "Where are we?" They both looked at her with surprise.

"You've never eaten here before?" asked Kakashi. She shook her head, eyeing not the food but the man behind the counter. Kakashi pieced it together. "Teuchi-san, how long have you run this shop?" he asked. The man smiled as he ladled the thick pork broth into a large bowl.

"Let's see, it's been about 10 years now?" said the man with a grin. "My old man opened the shop 34 years ago, passed it down to me, and hopefully I'll pass it down to my daughter Ayame when I decide to retire."

"So you've always been in Konoha."

"Always! We even served Senju Hashirama-sama himself!"

This caught Aki's attention. Kakashi watched the surprise on her face from the corner of his eye. She leaned forward just slightly.

"The First Hokage?" she echoed.

"Yup. My old man claims he was one of our best customers. An unbelievable appetite, which I guess is only suitable for the God of Shinobi." Teuchi placed the last slice of gleaming pork on top of the bowl and turned, beaming proudly as he handed it to Kakashi. "We haven't changed our shoyu ramen recipe since."

"I'll have the shoyu ramen then," said Aki seriously.

"Good choice!"

First was the broth, followed by a large bundle of freshly cooked noodles. On top of that, Teuchi neatly arranged bamboo shoots, seaweed, bean sprouts, and half an egg with its golden yolk oozing languorously into the soup. Finally, two glistening pieces of pork were layered on top. Aki watched the chef's careful movements with rapt attention until he set down his utensils and grinned over the counter.

"Careful, it's hot."

Aki's mouth pulled into a tight line as she accepted the bowl of ramen. Her entire posture loosened as she inhaled the scent of the broth. She looked up at Kakashi questioningly as waited with his own bowl. Teuchi beamed.

"Eat up!"

At Kakashi's encouraging look, she nodded minutely. "Itadakimasu," she mumbled before taking her chopsticks. First, she mixed the noodles carefully, frowning at the reluctance with which the thick knot untangled. She settled for a piece of pork and lifted it to her mouth. Kakashi looked away politely as her eyes widened upon first bite. She shoved the rest of the piece in her mouth and then lifted the bowl to her lips to take a deep gulp of the broth. When her face emerged from the soup, her eyes glowed in a way Kakashi had never seen.

"This is the best thing I've ever eaten," she declared, a little too loudly. Teuchi looked like he could fight a mountain with the power of his joy. His chest swelled, chin lifted high.

All of her apprehensions shed, Aki dove into her bowl, slurping and gulping down the soup with such focus that Kakashi was able to pull his mask down and eat his own ramen without anyone's notice. By the time she tipped back her bowl to drink the last of the broth, Kakashi was full and content to simply lean back against the wall and watch her enjoy her meal so thoroughly.

Kakashi had been certain that the Hokage would bring her into his home for the night to celebrate with his family. The Sarutobi clan was large but close-knit. Every member Kakashi could think of was well-humored and kind - it was the clan that had borne Asuma, after all. Any holiday with the Sarutobi clan would probably be a jovial affair, one with a lot of good food and drinking and laughter. It was for these reasons that Kakashi was certain Aki had chosen to spend her New Year's Eve alone.

When she finally set down her empty bowl and looked up at Kakashi with those pinkened cheeks, he was grateful for the first time that he had also been alone on this night, for it had brought them together again. One look at her and he knew he could not refuse her next request, no matter how ludicrous.

Luckily, her simple question was, "Can I try the tonkotsu, too?"

Both men laughed, and relief washed over Kakashi as Aki bowed her head with gratitude to accept the second bowl of ramen. She devoured it with the same meticulous attention she paid her little bentos out in the training field, leaving no stray noodle or bean sprout behind. The bowl shined cleanly under the eye of the swinging fluorescent light bulb overhead.

"What an appetite! Like Hashirama-sama himself," laughed Teuchi. Whether it was from the comparison or the warmth of the ramen in her belly, Kakashi would never know, but the softest of smiles pulled at Aki's mouth. He thought it was the most precious thing he'd ever seen.

Well wishes for the new year were exchanged as Kakashi paid for the three bowls of ramen, and Aki's delight remained visible on her face as they stepped out from the stand's glow. Looking out onto the lights of the village, an idea emerged.

"You tired?" asked Kakashi.

"Nope."

"Have you ever been to the top of the Hokage Rock?" Aki looked slightly aghast at the very notion. He smiled beneath his mask. "Don't worry, it's not breaking any rules. Come on. It's the best view in the village."

She looked as if she wanted to argue, but her protests were drowned by the noise of the new year celebrations as they moved through the center of town. Drums and music blared, laced with laughter and shouted greetings. Aki's eyes were wide as Kakashi guided them through it all, picking up a couple of snacks and cups of warm amazake along the way. She let out a great sigh of relief as they finally stepped beyond the bubble of the markets and onto the quiet road leading up to the top of the village.

People were scattered along the hill, also coming to see the view of Konoha lit up with lanterns. Aki blanched visibly as they passed a few couples locked in amorous embrace, but as they reached the top, the two finally found themselves alone once more.

"Who do you want to sit on?" asked Kakashi, nodding to the four Hokage carved into the mountain. Aki's mouth twisted with conflict.

"Isn't this disrespectful?"

"I highly doubt the Third or your great-grandfather care." He almost laughed at the scandalized expression that splashed across her face. "If it makes you feel so bad, we can sit on the Fourth."

"But he's your teacher!" gasped Aki.

"So it's my prerogative to do with his statue as I please," said Kakashi, delighting in her horror. "If I'm ever named Hokage, I give you permission to sit on or even vandalize any images they make of me."

The derision the idea brought wiped away Aki's dismay. "Like anyone would ever name _you_ Hokage," she snorted. They hopped down onto Minato's spiky hair, plopping down at the end of the most protruding strand. Kakashi smiled as Aki looked out onto the glowing village with wonder.

"Not bad, huh?" he said, handing her a sweet bean bun and cup of amazake. She accepted them quietly, eyelids fluttering at the warmth of the drink.

"It's okay," she said begrudgingly, but the lingering rosy glow on her cheeks betrayed her delight. She shivered with pleasure as she sipped at the amazake and allowed her eyes to close for a moment as the sweet drink rolled around her tongue. The steam mingled with the soft haze of her breath, and then she opened her eyes with that tiny smile again. Kakashi let out a content breath and leaned back on his hands.

He wanted to ask her about her parents, about why she'd chosen to spend the holiday alone with ghosts rather than the Hokage, but he knew she would bristle at the invasion of privacy. It was enough to share this small moment with her on this high-up perch away from the noise of the village. All the way up here, they could almost shed the shadows of lost families, of enemies within and outside the village walls.

"You were in the cemetery today."

Kakashi looked over with surprise to see Aki looking up at him. Her cheeks were a bit red, face tight as if the open question had taken all of her ability. He smiled softly. The requited effort was enough to console his concerns.

"I was visiting some friends - the ones I told you about a few months ago," he said. "Obito was actually the one who brought me up here first."

"Uchiha Obito?" Her tone was stiff, but not antagonistic. He decided it was an improvement.

"Yes. His dream was to become Hokage one day, so he often came up here to think and look up at the men who had come before us. Every so often, he would bring me and Rin up here as well. I often think about what a shame it is that he didn't get to see Minato become Hokage."

"Why did he want to become Hokage?"

"To be recognized I suppose." Aki gave him a puzzled tilt of her head. "He was an orphan from a more secondary branch of the Uchiha clan, so he was sort of brushed to the side by the elders of the clan early on. I found him annoying at the time, but looking back on it now, he was probably acting out for attention. I think his dream of becoming Hokage was probably rooted in the same motivation."

Nodding thoughtfully, Aki took a slow sip from her amazake and rolled the flavor on her tongue as she considered Kakashi's thoughts.

"I wonder why Sandaime-sama became Hokage," she wondered aloud.

"You should ask him. I'm sure he'd love to hear your questions."

She didn't flinch as he'd expected at the thought of the Hokage, but something flickered across her face briefly. Her gaze hesitated for a moment, lips tightening, and without her saying anything, Kakashi understood.

"I imagine the Sarutobi household is very loud at this time of year," he said forgivingly. Her face melted into a grimace.

"So loud," she mumbled. Her soft tone confirmed all he has suspected.

"What did you and your family do on New Year's Eve?" he asked.

For a moment, Aki didn't answer. Her shoulders jerked slightly with surprise before shifting a bit in her seat. He followed her gaze outward onto the village rooftops. When he was certain she would let the question roll off of her, she surprised him again with honesty.

"We would sit under the kotatsu together and watch the New Year's Eve specials on TV," she said quietly. Kakashi went completely still and gave her his entire attention. "Mom would make toshikoshi soba, and then we'd share oranges until we fell asleep. Hari-kun always fell asleep first."

"Hari is your little brother?"

"... Yes. Harima."

 _Harima_ , he thought. The Senju always had unusual names, usually with - _ma_. 'Space between beams' was a name he'd never heard before and probably never would again. It was a little sobering.

He looked over at her discreetly. The men in the Senju clan had always had names of that custom, but he'd never known much about the women. The First Hokage Senju Hashirama had married a woman of the Uzumaki clan, so she had not shared the tradition. The Second Hokage Senju Tobirama died before marrying. Kakashi could not name any other prominent female Senju.

"Do the women follow the custom of the - _ma_ suffix in the Senju clan?" he asked. She stiffened at his question.

"Sometimes," she mumbled.

"But you didn't?"

Aki didn't respond. Her hands paused for a moment, and then she brought them back up to her mouth wordlessly. Kakashi watched her take another bite from her bun before concluding that she wasn't going to answer.

He supposed "Aki" could be a fake name they had given her. The more he thought about it, the more he decided that it was. Staring at her thoughtfully, he wondered what kind of name she might have had before. He couldn't imagine her as anything other than "Aki."

"Toirema?" he suggested. She glared. "Yokusouma?"* With a red face, she punched him in the arm, and he laughed. The sound echoed over the stone edges of the Hokage.

* * *

 **A/N:** I liked the joke about Kakashi never being named Hokage. I gave myself a small chuckle from it.

Amazake: A sweet rice wine with a low alcohol content. It's often sold at festival stands or around Shinto shrines on New Year's Eve. Children are allowed to drink it, so Kakashi isn't enabling underage drinking.

*Kakashi is making fun of Aki by suggesting names with -ma. The Senju men were named ABC-ma, with ABC being an element of a house. _Toirema_ would mean "space between toilets" and _Yokusouma_ would mean "space between bathtubs."


End file.
